Gemini, the digital currency exchange established by the Winklevoss twins, Cameron and Tyler, has secured regulatory authorization to broaden its crypto derivatives trading in Europe. The exchange has been granted a Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) license from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), enabling it to extend its crypto derivatives services in the European Union, as announced on May 9.
Mark Jennings, Gemini’s European head, stated, “With the commencement of our business operations, we will be in a position to provide regulated derivatives across the EU and EEA [European Economic Area] under MiFID II.”
Jennings further identified the MiFID II license as a significant milestone in Gemini’s European expansion, bringing it closer to providing derivatives to both retail and institutional customers. The forthcoming derivatives offering in the EU and EEA by Gemini will encompass perpetual futures and other derivatives, targeting advanced Gemini users.
“We will be striving to meet the necessary conditions to roll out these products across Europe in the upcoming months,” Jennings added. According to the records of MFSA, the license for Gemini’s Maltese entity, Gemini Intergalactic EU Artemis, was issued on May 8, 2025.
Despite Gemini’s most recent license signifying the US-based exchange’s ongoing regulatory advancements in Europe, it has yet to receive full MiCA licensing as of May 2025. Earlier in January, Gemini declared Malta as its center for complying with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. This decision was taken shortly after Gemini obtained its sixth European virtual asset service provider (VASP) registration from the MFSA in December 2024.
Gemini’s impending crypto derivatives rollout in Europe marks another significant development in the global crypto industry’s growing derivatives trend. On May 8, Coinbase, the US’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume, announced the $2.9 billion acquisition of Deribit, one of the largest crypto derivatives platforms globally. This announcement followed closely on the heels of rival exchange Kraken’s confirmation of plans to acquire NinjaTrader, the derivatives trading platform, for $1.5 billion on May 1.
