US digital currency outfit Uphold is set to launch crypto-enabled cards across Europe thanks to the acquisition of issuer Optimus Cards UK. Financial terms were not disclosed.
An Electronic Money Institution regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Optimus acts as a primary card issuer (including FX multi-currency) and payments facilitator.
Already available in the US, the Uphold account allows users to toggle instantly between more than 100 funding sources and spend any of their holdings - from XRP to Tesla stock - at more than 50 million merchants worldwide, as well as access to cash at virtually all ATMs.
"We're delighted to have acquired an issuer with such a technically-sophisticated platform and a full EMI license," says JP Thieriot, CEO, Uphold. "These attributes will shortly allow us to issue multi-asset, crypto-enabled debit cards across the UK and Europe."