Crypto payment company MoonPay has been granted a BitLicense license

The company had previously chosen this state to host its headquarters

MoonPay has received authorization from the New York regulator to serve customers in the US

04.06.2025 - 19:00

3 min

What’s new? Crypto payment company MoonPay has officially received BitLicense and Money Transmitter licenses from the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), allowing it to serve customers directly in all 50 US states.

Material by Crypto in America

What else is known? NYDFS is considered the strictest financial regulator in the country, and being licensed in the state requires companies to adhere to high standards of cybersecurity and financial controls, including AML regulations.

The BitLicense is a business license for firms wishing to engage in cryptocurrency activities in New York. Due to the stringent requirements, only a small number of companies have been able to obtain it, and many have chosen to avoid operating in New York due to regulatory hurdles.

Back in 2022, billionaire investor Bill Ackman criticized the BitLicense as an “onerous obstacle that limits innovation.”

Dubai-based crypto exchange Bybit has been granted a license to operate in the EU

The authorization to operate in the EU has been issued by the regulator of Austria

The green light from New York’s top financial regulator marks a major milestone for MoonPay, placing it on a short list of major BitLicense holders including PayPal, Coinbase, Ripple, Robinhood, Circle, eToro, and Coin Cafe. In 2024, only two companies — Anchorage Digital and Cumberland — have obtained licenses.

“With the approval of our New York BitLicense and Money Transmitter Licenses, MoonPay now holds the golden regulatory stack for crypto in the U.S., allowing us to directly serve customers in every single state without gaps in coverage. As a U.S.-founded company with a headquarters in New York City, we’re immensely proud of this milestone and look forward to our continued work with regulators nationwide to make crypto accessible to everyone,” said Ivan Soto-Wright, MoonPay co-founder and CEO.

The announcement follows the recent opening of MoonPay’s headquarters in New York City. The company previously called the past fiscal year the strongest in its history.

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