At The Cryptonomist, we’re always thrilled to sit down with the industry’s leading innovators, and today, we had the pleasure of speaking with Gemini, one of the most trusted and forward-thinking crypto exchanges in the world. In an exclusive interview, Gemini dives deep into their strategic expansion across Europe, their decision to choose Malta as their MiCA hub, and how they’re transforming the user experience with seamless payment options and a broader token offering.
With an eye on compliance, education, and long-term vision, Gemini is doubling down on its commitment to shaping the future of crypto in Europe.
- Can you share the strategic rationale behind choosing Malta as Gemini’s MiCA jurisdiction, and what advantages does it offer compared to other EU countries?
We chose Malta due to its proactive approach to fostering innovation among fintech and digital assets, having had regular, productive interactions with the regulator prior to this. We have VASP licenses in multiple jurisdictions across the EU, including Malta, France, Ireland, Spain, Italy and Greece, and we considered our options and chose the jurisdiction that best supports our growth plans.
- Gemini recently introduced a series of product updates and new payment methods. Could you walk us through some of the most significant changes and how they enhance the user experience?
European expansion has been a key priority in 2025, and so our product is currently undergoing a significant UX redesign to enhance the trading experience for both beginner and advanced users.
We’ve streamlined the funding experience, improving existing payment methods and recently introducing Plaid for all EU customers. This means you can easily transfer EUR and GBP using their bank accounts in just a few steps, providing a quick and easy on and off-ramp. We’ve also made our advanced trading platform, ActiveTrader, more customisable, allowing you to tailor the user interface to your preferences.
Finally, for institutional customers in Europe, we recently rolled out USD rails for institutions, meaning you are able to deposit and withdraw in USD, as well as access more than 80+ different USD trading pairs.
- What are the key factors driving consumer growth for Gemini in Europe, and how do you tailor your strategy for different markets within the region?
Accessibility is a key part of growing in Europe, making crypto easier to use and more understable for all types of users. It’s also important to build trust, particularly with those in which we are their first touch point in the crypto space, and so it’s key that we create a seamless, safe & secure user experience in local jurisdictions as we grow in Europe.
We’re also actively listening to existing and prospective customers. Having launched in France in November, and recently attending Paris Blockchain Week, we recognise the importance of localisation, and are undertaking research with French consumers to understand what you need from a crypto exchange, building a product that resonates with them and is intuitive to use.
Partnerships such as local banking rails are also a key driving in this growth, boosting legitimacy and brand awareness with mainstream audiences, and bridging the gap between the traditional financial and crypto spaces.
- With the rise of memecoins and altcoins, how is Gemini adapting its offerings to cater to this growing interest among consumers?
Token availability is crucial in improving accessibility for customers, as each different token & blockchain offers different benefits and use-cases for users. We’ve been providing more choice and flexibility for customers by rolling out new tokens over the past few months, including WIF, BONK, FLOKI, PYTH, POPCAT, OP, PNUT, GOAT, MEW, BOME & ARB, which are all now available for trading, and plan to introduce more in the coming months. Some of these tokens may act as an entry point for consumers into the wider crypto ecosystem, which you can then exchange into other tokens as you continue exploring what crypto has to offer.
- How does Gemini plan to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape in Europe, particularly with MiCA implementation, and what challenges do you foresee?
We believe that sound regulation is essential to building trust and integrity in the digital asset space. That’s why we’ve proactively engaged and collaborated with regulators and championed best practices over the last decade, and MiCA is no exception. Having received in-principal MiCA approval from the Maltese regulator, we’re now working hard to obtain the full licence as soon as possible, which would be passportable and allow us to offer our services EU-wide thereafter.
MiCA is an important step in the right direction for the European crypto industry, and we believe it generally balances innovation while providing the proper safeguards for consumer protection. However, I’m sure that as the industry and technology continues to develop, the regulatory framework must also evolve, just like we saw with MiFID.
Another challenge is ensuring there is open and ongoing engagement between industry players and regulators. Crypto businesses live and breathe this space and can give the best insight into ensuring this works in practice, not just on paper.
- As crypto adoption increases, what initiatives is Gemini undertaking to build consumer trust and improve crypto literacy in Europe?
At Gemini, we’re focused on building trust as crypto adoption grows in Europe. That means continuing to improve our app with a simple, secure experience, including local payment options and easy on/off ramps for users of all levels.
We’re also committed to upholding the highest standards of regulatory compliance and security of customer’s assets. As we work towards securing a MiCA licence in Europe, we believe this will give users further confidence when using our platform.
We also prioritise education, firmly believing that in order for this asset class to hit full maturity, everyone needs to understand how to effectively navigate the space, as well as the risks. We therefore offer tools such as Cryptopedia, an encyclopedia of everything about the crypto space, as well as research reports such as the State of Crypto.
- What are Gemini’s next steps in Europe, and how do you envision the platform’s role evolving as the European crypto ecosystem matures?
Our vision is to become a 100-year company, underpinned by a commitment to building trust, security and innovation, and we believe this will support us in becoming one of the go-to exchanges in the region. A key part of that is investing in brand awareness, partnerships, as well as technology, which includes hiring key personnel throughout the region to achieve these goals. Having recently opened our Malta office as our EU hub, we’re actively hiring local talent for several roles there.
