Bybit Payments GmbH has received an electronic money institution license from Austria’s Financial Market Authority, giving the company permission to issue electronic money and provide specified payment services. The authorization creates a regulated payments layer for Bybit’s European platform, but it does not mean every planned product is already available. The FMA said the license took effect on August 4, 2026.
The approval covers incoming and outgoing payment services, payment transactions, and issuing and acquiring activities under Austria’s Payment Services Act. Bybit said those permissions may eventually support person-to-person transfers, merchant payments, open-banking functions, Strong Customer Authentication and card initiatives. These capabilities remain part of a future rollout, with product dates and country-specific availability still undisclosed.
https://t.co/rgoaHvgkGh is excited to announce that Bybit Payments GmbH has been granted EMI licence by Austria’s FMA. 🇦🇹
Together with the MiCAR authorisation held by Bybit EU GmbH, it creates complementary regulatory foundations for connecting crypto-assets. pic.twitter.com/Rca2FocznF
— Bybit EU (@BybitEU) August 4, 2026
Separate Entities Divide Payments and Crypto Services
Bybit’s European structure places payment activity and crypto-asset services under two different Austrian companies. Bybit Payments GmbH holds the EMI license, while Bybit EU GmbH has operated as a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation-authorized crypto-asset service provider since May 2025. The split preserves distinct regulatory responsibilities, even though customers may access both categories through the Bybit.eu interface.
The FMA’s earlier MiCAR decision authorized Bybit EU GmbH to provide crypto custody, exchanges between crypto-assets and funds, crypto-to-crypto exchanges, asset placement and transfer services. The payments entity, by contrast, is supervised under electronic-money and payment-services legislation. This dual framework separates fiat payment functions from crypto custody and exchange activity, reducing ambiguity over which company is responsible for each service.
Bybit said the EMI license should also help it develop direct relationships with financial institutions, payment providers and enterprise partners while gradually reducing dependence on third-party payment infrastructure. Greater control over payment rails could improve operational consistency, but the company has not published details on banking partners, settlement arrangements, pricing or expected transaction volumes.
European Expansion Still Depends on Local Availability
The two Austrian authorizations give Bybit a consolidated regulatory base for serving customers across much of the European Economic Area. However, the company states that Bybit EU GmbH currently serves the EEA except Malta, and all offerings remain subject to local permissions, terms and availability. An Austrian license does not make every feature immediately accessible in every market.
The regulatory milestone therefore expands what Bybit Payments GmbH is legally positioned to build rather than confirming a completed payments suite. No specific launch date has been announced for P2P payments, open banking, merchant tools or cards. The immediate development is authorization, not product adoption, leaving user uptake and real transaction activity to be assessed after services begin operating.
For Bybit, the next test will be execution across two separately regulated entities without blurring their legal roles. For European customers, the practical value will depend on whether the planned payment services produce faster, more reliable links between fiat money and crypto assets. The license supplies the regulatory foundation, while the commercial outcome remains unproven.