Strike gets MiCA license days before EU crypto deadline

Strike cleared the EU's regulatory bar just one day before unlicensed firms get locked out of the market. The Bitcoin-focused payments app, founded by Jack Mallers, said its European subsidiary, Zap (Strike) Europe Limited, received full authorization as a crypto-asset service provider from Malta’s Financial Services Authority. The EU’s MiCA transitional period ends July 1. Any firm without proper authorization will be forced to stop operating across the bloc.

The Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation creates a unified rulebook for crypto service providers across all 27 member states. MiCA covers authorization and consumer protection rules, replacing the prior system of fragmented national rules. Out of more than 1,200 registered crypto entities across the EU and European Economic Area, only around 230 to 244 have secured full MiCA authorization as of June 2026, according to industry data. That is roughly a 20% pass rate. The European Securities and Markets Authority made clear there would be no extensions to the transitional period. July 1 is a hard wall. Roughly 1,000 previously registered entities face forced operational wind-downs.

Strike’s authorization through Malta’s MFSA gives it passporting rights across the entire bloc. One license, 27 countries. The app focuses on Bitcoin buying and selling, with an emphasis on Lightning Network for faster, cheaper transactions. Mallers has long positioned Strike as a bridge between traditional finance and Bitcoin’s payment rails. The European authorization extends that thesis to a market of roughly 450 million people.

Strike began serving eligible European customers in April 2024, operating under the pre-MiCA patchwork of national regulations. The new authorization replaces that arrangement with a single, standardized credential.