Globitex, a startup bitcoin exchange co-founded by early bitcoin adopter and former Executive Director and a Founding Board Member of the Bitcoin Foundation Jon Matonis, marked a significant milestone this week as Globitex Holding (Latvia) group company NexPay UAB has been granted an e-money license (EMI) by the Bank of Lithuania to carry out payment services and e-money issuance in the EU. The current operating entity of the Globitex bitcoin exchange is a UK-based Globitex group company.
Globitex Chairman and Founding Director of Bitcoin Foundation, Jon Matonis, stated:
“I look forward to this evolution of digital currency trading platforms that ensure futures contracts with a physical delivery component. Strong connection to the spot markets, including contract limits and physical delivery that is linked to provisioned commodities, will serve as the market standard for price integrity.”
SEPA payments
Acquisition of the EMI license brings with it the possibility of integrating with the SEPA euro payments system directly through the Central Bank of Lithuania. This will enable NexPay to clear euro payments directly, without the involvement of commercial banks, and to issue IBAN accounts to Globitex clients just like banks issue accounts to clients.
The regulatory green light for the EMI license is a step forward in the development of the broader cryptocurrency industry. As it stands, the newly-issued EMI license is fully ‘passportable’ to all other EU member states, allowing NexPay to provide clients with payment services and e-money issuance across all 28 Eurozone countries.
Liza Aizupiete, Managing Director of Globitex, reflects:
“Globitex is looking to set new cryptocurrency trading standards not only technologically, or by commodities-linked product offering, but especially in Globitex’s legal setup, ensuring safe passage to the digital age.”
Globitex is currently holding an ICO for GBX tokens.