UAB DriveWealth Europe Authorized for Crypto Services in Lithuania

Lithuania’s central bank, the Bank of Lithuania, has authorized DriveWealth’s European affiliate, UAB DriveWealth Europe, to provide crypto services under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, according to DriveWealth. The company plans a phased partner rollout starting in 2027.

The central bank approved UAB DriveWealth Europe as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCA, clearing a regulatory step for the planned offering. DriveWealth said the services would reach partners “in phases in 2027,” with “specific launch dates to be announced later.” The announcement identifies neither a month, a quarter nor a launch day.

What does the authorization cover?

UAB DriveWealth Europe already holds a license under the European Union’s Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, or MiFID II. The new decision adds authorization under MiCA for crypto services. The announcement does not explain how the scopes of the two approvals relate, nor does it list which crypto functions are covered for launch.

That advances the offering past one named regulatory step while leaving the commercial build-out largely undefined. The company has not disclosed partner-selection criteria, technical integration standards, pricing or customer eligibility. For institutions preparing to connect, those missing details affect onboarding scope and the resources required for a 2027 deployment.

Who will connect to the service?

DriveWealth says banks, fintech companies, digital wallets and brokerages are the intended users. Partners would connect to the crypto offering through the same interface they use for DriveWealth’s existing investment products. The company lists U.S. stocks, exchange-traded funds, fixed-income products and options as part of that existing product set.

The proposed distribution model puts crypto within an investment workflow that already serves those four product categories. As described, an existing partner would have one interface through which to access the planned crypto service and DriveWealth’s listed investments. The announcement does not specify fees, support arrangements or how crypto permissions would sit alongside permissions for the existing products.

What is planned with Ripple?

DriveWealth previously announced plans with Ripple to introduce RLUSD stablecoin settlement, cross-border payments and digital asset custody in Europe. The MiCA authorization covers UAB DriveWealth Europe, but the announcement did not link the approval to a dated launch of those three Ripple-related functions.

The earlier plan and the new approval are separate disclosed steps: a stated European product initiative and a company-level regulatory authorization. The announcement names no launch partner, transaction flow or implementation date for RLUSD settlement.

It gives no timetable for cross-border payments or custody and does not say whether either function will form part of the first 2027 phase.

What happens before 2027?

DriveWealth has not disclosed the sequence of partner onboarding or the criteria for selecting the first participants. It also has not said whether access will be invitation-only, tied to product readiness or opened to all intended firms in each phase. The only firm-specific timing supplied is the start of the phased rollout in 2027.

Open questions include which crypto functions go live first, what infrastructure a partner must support and how the existing MiFID II license relates to the new MiCA authorization. No first-phase digital asset is named. RLUSD appears only in the earlier Ripple initiative, not as a confirmed opening product for the 2027 rollout.

When does access begin?

DriveWealth will open the MiCA services to partners in phases in 2027, with exact dates to follow. The next concrete checkpoint is publication of those dates and identification of the first partner cohort, which will turn the authorization into an operating service.

Until then, the verified facts are limited but clear: the Bank of Lithuania approved UAB DriveWealth Europe as a MiCA crypto-asset service provider; the planned distribution channel is DriveWealth’s existing investment interface; and partner access is scheduled in phases from 2027. The first 2027 phase is the next checkpoint, not a guaranteed date for every partner or service.