From retail platform to financial infrastructure

Bit2Me, a cryptocurrency exchange backed by Tether, is repositioning itself away from the typical retail trading model. The company now wants to become a core infrastructure provider for traditional financial institutions across Europe.

Rather than focusing only on individual traders, Bit2Me is targeting banks that want to integrate crypto services without building the technology internally.

The strategy reflects a broader shift within the crypto industry where exchanges increasingly position themselves as technology partners to traditional finance.

MiCA license opens the door

The company recently secured regulatory approval under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework. This licensing structure allows compliant firms to operate more easily across EU member states.

With this approval, Bit2Me can begin expanding services beyond its home market of Spain. The company plans to roll out operations in Portugal and Italy first, followed by further expansion into France and Germany.

The regulatory clarity provided by MiCA is expected to accelerate institutional participation in the digital asset sector.

Building the “plumbing” for banks

Instead of competing with banks, Bit2Me wants to provide the technology layer that enables them to offer crypto services.

This infrastructure can include custody solutions, tokenization capabilities, trading connectivity, and digital asset settlement systems. Banks can integrate these tools into their existing platforms while maintaining regulatory compliance.

By positioning itself as backend infrastructure rather than a consumer brand, Bit2Me hopes to capture a growing institutional market.

Why banks need partners

Many European banks are exploring digital assets but lack the internal expertise to build blockchain systems from scratch.

Partnering with licensed crypto infrastructure providers allows them to enter the market more quickly while minimizing development costs and operational risk.

Companies like Bit2Me see this gap as a major opportunity, particularly as regulatory frameworks like MiCA reduce uncertainty for traditional financial institutions.

A wider industry shift

The move reflects a broader transformation in the crypto sector. In its early years, most exchanges competed for retail traders and transaction fees.

Today, a growing number of companies are focusing on infrastructure services such as custody, tokenization, and blockchain based settlement. These services are increasingly attractive to institutions seeking regulated entry points into digital assets.

Europe becoming a crypto hub

Europe’s regulatory clarity is encouraging companies to expand operations across the region.

The MiCA framework provides standardized rules that allow licensed firms to scale across multiple countries more easily than before. As a result, several crypto companies are building strategies centered on European markets.

Bit2Me’s shift toward institutional infrastructure highlights how the region is becoming a testing ground for crypto integration within traditional finance.