Ripple has officially confirmed that it is looking to apply for an electronic money institution (EMI) license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework.

In comments to crypto media, an unnamed Ripple spokesperson familiar with the plans said the company intends “to become MiCA-compliant” and sees “significant opportunity in the European market.”

Ripple has already registered a new entity, Ripple Payments Europe S.A., in Luxembourg in April, and today’s confirmation marks a key step toward expanding its regulated payments and stablecoin operations across the European Economic Area.

Industry sources have reported that Ripple has already submitted its EMI application with Luxembourg’s Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), although the company declined to confirm the status of the filing. 

Instead, it has acknowledged that it is pursuing multiple licenses across key jurisdictions, including the EU.

Ripple has already posted job listings in Luxembourg, with additional roles appearing in cities like Geneva and Toronto.

Lately, Luxembourg has emerged as a major global hub for cryptocurrencies and a number of high-profile crypto companies have already cemented their place with the country’s rapidly expanding crypto economy.

For instance, Coinbase and Bitstamp have both secured MiCA-aligned licenses in the country, and Ripple could be next.

Luxembourg’s financial infrastructure is backed by a dense network of global banks which positions it as a preferred destination for digital asset service providers looking for cross-border access to the EU market.

MiCA has been touted as the European Union’s benchmark framework for the digital asset sector, and several jurisdictions across the globe have referred to it as a model for developing their own crypto regulations.

Under the MiCA regulation, which fully came into force in December last year, stablecoin issuers and crypto-asset service providers operating within the EU must comply with strict market standards on governance, capital reserves, and transparency.

The EMI license is one of the key authorisations needed to issue and distribute stablecoins legally across the 30 EEA member states.

A MiCA-compliant EMI license would directly support Ripple’s broader strategy around its U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin, RLUSD.

With regulatory approval in place, Ripple would be positioned to offer RLUSD across Europe under a unified framework, unlocking distribution through institutional channels and integrating it into EU-wide payments infrastructure.

Ripple has been pushing its stablecoin all across the globe since its inception.

Most recently, the Swiss-regulated AMINA Bank became the first international bank to support RLUSD. 

AMINA currently offers custodial and trading services, but only for institutional clients, with plans to expand into a bigger subset of users.

RLUSD has also received green lights from regulators in both Dubai and New York. 

In Dubai, RLUSD is approved for use in the DFSA-licensed payment platform that operates through the XRP Ledger.

The stablecoin is currently live on both the XRP and Ethereum blockchains, with plans underway to integrate with Cardano.

Ripple’s global push for RLUSD ties into its broader ambition to embed itself deeper in the traditional financial system. 

Earlier this year, the company applied for a national banking charter in the United States through the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

If granted, this would bring Ripple under direct federal oversight.

The application also includes a request for a Federal Reserve master account via its subsidiary, Standard Custody. 

This would allow Ripple to hold RLUSD reserves directly with the US central bank, bypassing intermediaries and enhancing the security and settlement efficiency of its stablecoin operations.

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