Gemini’s 2025 Power Play: Why Europe—Especially the UK, France, and Italy—Is the Crypto Exchange’s Golden Ticket
Europe's regulatory sandbox just became Gemini's playground. With the UK's FSA greenlighting institutional custody, France's tax tweaks luring crypto nomads, and Italy's banking partnerships bypassing legacy friction, the exchange is betting big on continental dominance.
London's hedge funds want in. Paris' startups are ditching local rivals. Rome's pension funds? Quietly allocating. All while Frankfurt's bureaucrats still debate spreadsheets from 2019.
One catch: Gemini's 'compliance-first' Euro-strategy means slower rollouts than its Asia-Pacific rivals. But when the ECB finally launches its digital euro—likely after another five committees—the exchange will already own the rails.
Bullish on Europe? Maybe. Bullish on regulatory arbitrage? Always.
Europe Is Gemini’s Launchpad for the Next Crypto Cycle
Gemini’s expansion into Europe is not new, but in 2025, it has become central to the exchange’s growth strategy.
“Europe has long been a strategic focus for Gemini. We’ve already established a strong regulatory foundation, with VASP licenses in 6 European jurisdictions, as well as EMI authorizations in the UK & Ireland,” Mark Jennings, Gemini’s head of Europe, said in an interview with BeInCrypto.
That footprint is now deepening. According to Jennings, in 2025, Gemini Exchange continued to deepen its presence in the region, recognizing the growth potential that the MiCA regulatory framework can unlock.
Malta is Gemini’s chosen hub under MiCA, a strategic decision supported by a seasoned European leadership team and an aggressive compliance roadmap.
Most recently, the firm secured a MiFID II license, which will allow it to offer derivatives products across the EU.
The exchange has also sharpened its focus on three key growth markets: the UK, France, and Italy. Efforts include a branding push in London, stakeholder engagement in Milan, and sponsorship of flagship events like Paris Blockchain Week.
“In particular, we’ve identified the UK, France and Italy as key markets based on our rapidly expanding customer base there, the opportunity these countries present, and their attitude towards crypto,” Jennings added.
Tokenized Equities Take Off in the EU First—Here’s Why
Gemini has made headlines with its launch of tokenized stock trading in the European Union. The offering is notably absent from its US or Asia-based platforms, with Jennings articulating that it was a calculated move.
“The favorable regulatory climate in the EU has allowed for us to launch tokenized stocks in the EU first, and we’re hoping to launch in other markets soon as regulators look to allow this. There are also few other competitors currently offering this product outside the US,” the Gemini executive explained.
As for demand, the use case is clear, given that tokenized stock trading has become hugely appealing for those looking to trade stocks entirely on-chain from their Gemini account. This allows them to avoid the expensive and complicated route through traditional brokerages.
Tokenized stocks allow users to bypass local market hours and access fractional shares of international companies like MicroStrategy.
Tokenized stocks have arrived.
Our customers in the EU can now buy tokenized Strategy (MSTR) on Gemini and take it anywhere onchain.
We are starting with MSTR and will be rolling out more tokenized stocks and ETFs in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/uSJx9NRIok
Crypto Is Different in Europe—And Trump Has Something to Do With It
Meanwhile, Gemini’s latest State of crypto report reveals important contrasts between the US and European retail behavior.
“From 2024 to 2025, this became a higher priority for US crypto owners, with 39% of US crypto investors in 2025 buying and holding crypto as a hedge against inflation. In contrast, 33% of European crypto investors said the same, suggesting that Trump’s trade war wasn’t too much of a concern for them,” he stated.
Still, Gemini sees Trump-era mechanisms influencing sentiment abroad, with nearly 2 in 3 European crypto owners stating that Trump’s policies made them more likely to invest in crypto.
Post-Nobitex, Gemini Doubles Down on Security
With cyberattacks targeting high-profile platforms like Nobitex and Bybit, Gemini addressed its security positioning head-on.
“Our security team has analyzed recent hacks such as that of Nobitex and Bybit based on the public explanations offered so far and determined the attack was specific to their technology and does not pose a threat to Gemini’s technology stack,” Jennings told BeInCrypto.
Notwithstanding, the company is not leaving anything to chance. According to Jennings, in the decade since the exchange was founded, Gemini has always prioritized building a world-class security program focused on developing novel solutions.
Gemini’s head of Europe says this has helped them protect customers and their assets.
“We’ve also invested considerable resources to remain transparent about our security posture through third-party security assessments, ISO 27001 certification, and annual penetration testing,” he added.
