Aspire Enters Europe with EU EMI License and New Netherlands Hub

Aspire, the Singapore-headquartered global fintech, announced it has secured its Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license, laying the foundation for its Dutch operations, and official entry into the European Union.

The approval marks a major milestone in Aspire’s global expansion, unlocking pan-European coverage for clients and enabling the company to serve startups, scale-ups and mid-market companies across the Netherlands and the wider region.

As part of the launch, Aspire has signed a formal investment commitment with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, selecting the Netherlands as its European base. The country’s strong regulatory environment, ease of doing business, and central role in Europe’s fintech and payments ecosystem make it an ideal gateway for Aspire’s expansion.

“Europe is home to some of the world’s most ambitious and globally-minded startups, and they deserve financial infrastructure that matches their pace,” said Andrea Baronchelli, Co-Founder and CEO of Aspire. “Securing our EU EMI license is a major milestone – it gives us the regulatory footing to serve our 50,000 existing clients as they expand internationally, while bringing our unified, intelligent Financial Operating System to thousands of European companies that operate across borders from day one.”

“We are pleased to welcome Aspire to the Netherlands as it establishes its presence in Europe,” said Hilde van der Meer, Commissioner, Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA). “Europe continues to be a thriving hub for innovation, and the Netherlands plays a central role in enabling high-growth companies to scale across the region. Aspire’s decision to invest here reinforces the strength of our fintech ecosystem and our commitment to supporting global businesses that contribute to Europe’s economic growth.”

Dajana Nozić leads Aspire in the Netherlands, overseeing the company’s market entry and the establishment of its European hub. Meanwhile, former Revolut executive Akash Kaul has joined as VP Global Expansion and Growth, overseeing the company’s rollout across the EU. Kaul was previously responsible for P&L growth at  Revolut Business, where he helped scale the company’s SME business finance platform across 30+ markets.

Aspire’s European expansion follows a broader wave of regulatory progress across key international markets:

• In Australia, Aspire has been granted a full Australian Financial Services License (AFSL), enabling the company to bring its full Financial OS, including multicurrency accounts, payments, cards, and spend, directly to Australian businesses.

• In the United States, Aspire has registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) and with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a Registered Investment Adviser. These approvals expand Aspire’s ability to offer its broader financial suite to U.S. companies and represent an important step towards its planned U.S. rollout in 2026.

• Earlier this year, Aspire secured its Capital Markets Services (CMS) licence in Singapore, expanding its ability to offer regulated investment and yield products to businesses.

Together, these regulatory milestones position Aspire as one of the most ambitious fintech platforms to emerge from Asia, and mark a significant step in its mission to build a unified, intelligent financial infrastructure for global-first businesses.