3 articles tagged #Revolut — curated RWA tokenization coverage.

Revolut has secured preliminary authorization from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to offer cryptocurrency services, including broker-dealer and asset management functions, within the UAE. This expansion allows the fintech firm to integrate digital asset trading into its consumer application and dedicated Revolut X platform for its 75 million global users. The move represents a strategic push into a jurisdiction known for transparent crypto licensing, complementing the firm's existing payment service license from the Central Bank of the UAE. Simultaneously, the European Union has entered a stricter regulatory era following the conclusion of the MiCA transitional framework on July 1. European authorities, including the European Securities and Markets Authority, are now intensifying oversight and compliance monitoring for all crypto service providers. These parallel developments highlight a global trend where firms seek growth in regulated Middle Eastern markets while navigating increasingly rigorous compliance requirements in Europe. For the RWA market, this shift underscores the necessity of robust regulatory frameworks to facilitate the institutional adoption of tokenized assets. As Revolut scales its infrastructure, its ability to bridge traditional finance with regulated digital assets serves as a bellwether for the broader industry's transition toward standardized, compliant operations.

Revolut has announced the delisting of USDT for its European customers to ensure compliance with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. Users were permitted to purchase USDT until July 6, with a final deadline of August 31 to trade or transfer holdings to external wallets. Any remaining balances after this date will be automatically converted into the user's home currency. This move by the $75 billion valuation fintech firm, which serves over 75 million customers, highlights the growing regulatory pressure on stablecoin issuers that fail to meet MiCA's strict licensing and reserve requirements. Tether, the issuer of USDT, has struggled to align its operational model with these new EU standards, leading to restricted access across various regional platforms. Simultaneously, Tether’s recent suspension of 131 TRON wallets following OFAC sanctions underscores the broader trend of increased oversight in the digital asset space. These developments signal a significant shift in the RWA market, where regulatory compliance is becoming the primary determinant for stablecoin accessibility and institutional adoption. As major financial service providers prioritize legal certainty, the landscape for non-compliant assets in the EU is rapidly narrowing.

European fintech giant Revolut is discontinuing support for USDT in the region, mandating that users sell or withdraw holdings by August 31, 2026. This decision follows the full implementation of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, which took effect on July 1, 2026. Tether, the issuer of USDT, opted not to seek MiCA authorization, citing incompatibility between the regulation's reserve requirements and its own management strategy. Consequently, Revolut joins other major platforms like Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance in restricting USDT to comply with the new legal standards. While USDT availability on regulated exchanges is declining, Circle has successfully secured MiCA approval for its USDC and EURC stablecoins. This shift forces a significant liquidity migration within the European market toward compliant assets. Tether continues to maintain a presence in the region by providing its Hadron tokenization platform to support third-party MiCA-compliant stablecoin projects.