Singaporean Paymonade Clears Europe's New Crypto Regulations Amid Industry Consolidation

The European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) has led to a drastic consolidation of the crypto industry, with only 280 firms out of an estimated 3,000-plus registered crypto companies holding full EEA-wide authorisation.

The regulatory regime took effect on July 1st, 2026, marking the end of a transitional period. Paymonade, a Singaporean-founded firm, has successfully cleared this bar by obtaining a MiCA licence from Liechtenstein's Financial Market Authority (FMA).

Paymonade provides regulated fiat-to-crypto and crypto-to-fiat infrastructure services to payment providers, fintechs, and cryptocurrency exchanges. With an annualized transaction volume run-rate of $1.8 billion as of the first half of 2026, Paymonade ranks among the more substantial fiat on- and off-ramp infrastructure providers operating under the new MiCA regime.

The firm's founder and chairman, Calvin Cheng, a Singapore citizen and former Nominated Member of the Singapore Parliament, emphasized that 'The era of lightly regulated crypto is ending.'