DriveWealth Wins MiCA Authorization From the Bank of Lithuania, Putting Crypto and US Stocks Under One EU License
DriveWealth, the New York company that runs brokerage plumbing for apps, banks and wallets, has a MiCA license. Its European affiliate, UAB DriveWealth Europe, was authorized by the Bank of Lithuania as a crypto-asset service provider under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. It announced the approval on November 10.
The license covers custody and administration of crypto assets for clients, plus execution, receipt and transmission of orders. Services roll out to partners in phases starting in 2027. Launch dates aren’t set yet.
One entity, two rulebooks
The interesting part is the structure. The same Lithuanian entity already holds a MiFID II license from the Bank of Lithuania, granted in October 2024, to trade securities and provide custody across the European Economic Area. Adding MiCA puts securities and crypto under one regulated company.
For DriveWealth’s customers, that’s the pitch. A bank, fintech, digital wallet or broker in the EU that already uses DriveWealth for US stocks, ETFs, fixed income or options can add crypto through the same connection. No second vendor, no second onboarding, no second compliance review.
DriveWealth doesn’t sell to retail investors itself. Its clients are the apps people use. So one license can show up inside many consumer products at once, under their brands.
Lithuania as the gateway
Lithuania has become one of the main doors into MiCA. Since January 1, 2026, firms that used to work under Lithuania’s old national registration scheme can’t offer crypto services there without MiCA authorization. That forced a wave of applications to the Bank of Lithuania. A MiCA license from one member state can then be passported across the bloc, which is why a New York firm would pick Vilnius.
For the background on how the rules work, see MiCA Is Now Live and the European Crypto Industry Is Adjusting.
The Ripple tie-in
The license follows DriveWealth’s partnership with Ripple, announced earlier, to add RLUSD stablecoin settlement, cross-border payments and digital asset custody to its systems, starting in Europe. With MiCA in hand, DriveWealth can offer those services as the regulated provider itself rather than leaning on someone else’s license.
The catch is timing. Nothing goes live until 2027, and DriveWealth is still building the infrastructure. The license is the permission. The product comes later.