Blockrise Launches €20K BTC-Backed Loans later than Securing AFM MiCA License
What Does Blockrise’s MiCA License Enable in Europe?
Netherlands-based Blockrise has become one of the first BTC-only firms to secure a full regulatory license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), unlocking regulated BTC services across all EU member states. The license, issued Tuesday by the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM), allows Blockrise to offer custody, trading and BTC asset management throughout Europe.
The approval represents a major step for BTC-native companies operating within Europe’s evolving regulatory landscape. Under MiCA, only firms that meet strict governance, capital and operational standards can provide regulated crypto services. Blockrise is now able to scale its services legally across the bloc without undergoing individual licensing processes in each jurisdiction.
CEO Jos Lazet said MiCA provides the foundation for a broader suite of BTC products. “MiCA is the basis for Blockrise to provide BTC-backed loans,” he told Cointelegraph, outlining the firm’s strategy to extend beyond standard custody and trading toward credit and treasury answers for corporate clients.
Investor Takeaway
How Blockrise Plans to Use MiCA to Expand BTC Lending
Although MiCA does not yet regulate cryptocurrency lending, Blockrise announced the launch of a new BTC-backed loan service for business clients. To comply with current rules, the company structured the offering exclusively for corporate borrowers, avoiding consumer lending restrictions.
begining today, businesses can apply for loans beginning at 20,000 euros (approximately 23,150 dollars). Borrowers can use their BTC as collateral, accessing credit while retaining BTC exposure. Lazet said the current interest rate is 8 percent, reviewed monthly to reflect market conditions. The model is similar to existing crypto lending structures viewn in the United States and Asia, but with the distinction of being built inside a regulated MiCA framework for custody and brokerage.
Blockrise expects demand from corporates viewking working capital while maintaining long-term BTC holdings. As more companies add BTC to treasury reserves, credit products backed by verifiable, on-chain collateral may gain traction, especially with MiCA enabling passported compliance across major EU markets.
What Makes Blockrise’s Custody Model diverse?
Founded in 2017, Blockrise with what it describes as a “semi-custodial” wallet structure. Unlike full self-custody, where users hold a Secret key capable of recovering their assets independently, Blockrise uses to generate wallets in secure vaults. Keys cannot be extracted, and transactions require cooperation between the user and Blockrise.
According to Lazet, clients hold a “Blockrise key,” which has no standalone monetary value and serves only to authorize transactions. Both parties must sign off on transfers. This shared-control model is designed to improve recovery options while reducing risks tied to lost Secret keys, theft or unauthorized withdrawals.
Because the company does not fully custody assets in the traditional sense, Lazet said are hard to measure precisely. Blockrise currently overviews around 100 million euros (roughly 116 million dollars) in client BTC holdings.
Investor Takeaway
How MiCA Could Expand Blockrise’s Services Beyond BTC
MiCA became fully operational in late 2024, regulating crypto issuance, trading, custody and broker activities. However, major areas remain outside its scope, including lending, decentralized finance and mining-related services. Lazet expects the framework to expand in phases, ultimately covering more activities essential to economy.
“MiCA doesn’t regulate everything yet, however, it is expected to extend over time and include more scopes, such as lending, mining, payments, etc,” he said. In the meantime, Blockrise structured its BTC-backed lending within permissible business categories, relying on its MiCA licenses for custody, brokerage and transfer.
The company’s expansion comes as BTC-focused firms gain momentum across Europe following President Donald Trump’s election win in the United States, which ignited a broader rally in BTC markets. With clear regulatory backing, Blockrise aims to position itself as a Europe-wide provider of BTC financial services at a time when MiCA is reshaping the competitive landscape.
As Europe’s regulatory regime continues to develop, companies like Blockrise that build ahead within the MiCA framework may gain a long-term strategic edge—especially in corporate BTC credit, treasury services and .
