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Rotterdam, 26 November 2025 – Blockrise, a Dutch Bitcoin start-up, is now officially authorized to continue its financial services in the Netherlands and expand across Europe. The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) has granted Blockrise a license under the new European MiCAR regulation (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation). This marks a significant milestone in the institutionalization of Bitcoin and positions the Netherlands at the forefront of regulated Bitcoin financial services in Europe.

The MiCAR license enables Blockrise to provide its Bitcoin services throughout Europe under a single license, making Blockrise part of a select group of pioneers with access to the newly regulated Bitcoin market.

"This license is recognition that our Bitcoin services have matured. Institutional parties, corporate investors, and high-net-worth individuals want to allocate assets to Bitcoin, but only through regulated entities offering transparency, risk management, and security. Thanks to the MiCAR license, we can now expand into the European market," says Jos Lazet, CEO of Blockrise. Blockrise differentiates itself as a ‘Bitcoin-only’ platform, meaning no other cryptocurrencies are offered. While the company has long focused on Bitcoin, it recently decided to fully commit to this strategy. “Choosing Bitcoin-only was logical given its market dominance and lower volatility. It also simplifies our proposition for clients.”

Expansion into Credit Services

The granting of the MiCAR license puts pressure on traditional financial institutions to reconsider their Bitcoin-related offerings. Over the past year, demand for new Bitcoin-related services has surged, particularly for Bitcoin-backed loans—credit facilities secured by Bitcoin collateral.

Lazet: “Our clients asked if we could offer a service to provide liquidity using Bitcoin as collateral. Since this product fits our focus, we moved quickly and developed the solution entirely in-house.”

Starting this week, Blockrise will offer this new credit service to all its corporate clients, with business loans starting at €20,000. The market places strong emphasis on collateral security, and Blockrise stands out by ensuring that clients retain ownership of their pledged Bitcoin. This guarantees that the Bitcoin will not be rehypothecated to other parties. The service is fully compliant with MiCAR requirements.

Blockrise Launches €15 Million Investment Round

Earlier this year, Blockrise raised €2 million in seed funding from a consortium of venture capital firms and angel investors. This was the company’s first external funding round, aimed at fueling growth. With the MiCAR license now secured, Blockrise is preparing for its Series A round.

"At Blockrise, we are working hard to position ourselves as the leading Bitcoin-only platform in the European Union. To achieve this, we aim to raise €15 million from investors who share our vision for Bitcoin," Lazet adds.

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About Blockrise

Founded in 2017, Blockrise is a Bitcoin-only platform based in Rotterdam, offering services including custody, trading, asset management, inheritance planning, and Bitcoin-backed loans. The company serves high-net-worth individuals, corporate investors, and institutions. Since November 2025, Blockrise holds a MiCAR license issued by the AFM. Visit www.blockrise.com for more information.

Rotterdam, 24 October 2025 - Blockrise, the Rotterdam-based company specialising in crypto asset management, announced today that it will focus entirely on Bitcoin. With this strategic move, the company positions itself as a Bitcoin-only asset manager, meaning it will no longer support Ethereum or other crypto assets.

Since the establishment in 2017, Blockrise has maintained a strong focus on Bitcoin. This focus has grown over the years, partly driven by increasing institutional interest in Bitcoin as a long-term investment. According to CEO Jos Lazet, the move towards a Bitcoin-only strategy marks a logical next step in the company’s development.

“Bitcoin has been the foundation of Blockrise since its inception. By refining our strategy and focusing entirely on Bitcoin, we can innovate faster, further expand our services and clearly establish our position as a European Bitcoin asset manager.”

The change means that Blockrise will no longer offer Ethereum. For clients currently holding Ethereum, Blockrise will offer a smooth transition: assets can be exchanged for Bitcoin or euros at no cost, or withdrawn to an external wallet.

According to Lazet, this Bitcoin-only approach allows Blockrise to accelerate product development and make the platform simpler and more robust:

“The future of Blockrise lies in building reliable, regulated Bitcoin services, from secure storage to lending. This focus ensures clarity, efficiency and growth.”

In the coming weeks, the Blockrise platform interface will be adapted to the new positioning. At the same time, the company is working on various expansions of its services, including new products within the framework of the European MiCAR regulations.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

Editor’s Note (Not for Publication)

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Blockrise Capital B.V.
Email: press@blockrise.com
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As October closes with unexpected turbulence, Bitcoin finds itself at the center of a shifting global narrative. From record highs to record liquidations, the market is testing the conviction of long-term holders and the agility of active managers. Meanwhile, institutional interest in Bitcoin as a treasury asset continues to grow, and traditional finance is rapidly adapting to the digital asset era.

In this edition, we break down the latest market movements, share insights from our Fundamentals strategy, and highlight key developments shaping the future of Bitcoin, from macroeconomic shifts to custody innovation and regulatory progress in Europe.

Market Update

A brief analysis on Bitcoin and Blockrise Fundamentals:

Bitcoin Analysis

October closed in the red as Bitcoin decreased by 3,80% over the month. Historically speaking October is a positive month, were nine out of ten years were positive. Notably, Bitcoin reached a new all-time high during October—a positive milestone for long-term holders. However, this peak was swiftly followed by the largest liquidation event in crypto history, triggering a sharp 15% drawdown.

The selling pressure was largely driven by geopolitical developments, particularly the Trump administration’s announcement of a proposed 100% tariff on Chinese imports. This news, combined with profit-taking at the all-time high, led to a rapid market crash that wiped out $17 billion in liquidations within hours.

Currently, Bitcoin’s cost basis indicates strong support around $111,000, while significant supply pressure is observed near $117,000. Seasoned investors are closely watching the outcome of the trade talks between China and the United States the next few weeks, which could set the tone for market sentiment going forward.

Fundamentals

Blockrise offers comprehensive care with its asset management strategy called "Fundamentals." This strategy involves managing assets in Bitcoin versus an euro position, reassessing and adjusting these positions monthly.

Although Bitcoin delivered a negative return in October, the month was characterised by significant volatility. Our investment strategy outperformed Bitcoin, limiting the drawdown to 2.82% through active risk management and timely exposure adjustments. During the sharp liquidation event on October 11th, our model indicated that the decline in Bitcoin’s overvaluation was not yet sufficient to justify a position increase. However, as prices continued to fall in the following week, our investment team raised Bitcoin exposure to 90%. On November 1st, we executed our scheduled monthly rebalance, reducing Bitcoin exposure to 85% and increasing Euro holdings to 15%, in line with our model.

Crypto Highlights

An overview of the most notable events in crypto:

Bitcoin as a treasury asset

An increasing number of companies are exploring the role of Bitcoin within their treasury management strategies. While Bitcoin was once viewed primarily as a speculative investment, it is now increasingly being considered as a long-term reserve asset: comparable to gold, but with greater flexibility and transparency.

The current macroeconomic environment plays an important role: rising government debt, negative real interest rates, and geopolitical uncertainty are driving companies to look for alternatives to traditional cash holdings.

In the United States, several publicly listed firms, including MicroStrategy and Semler Scientific, already hold part of their reserves in Bitcoin. Across Europe, interest is growing, with many companies awaiting further regulatory clarity under MiCAR.

Growth in Bitcoin custody solutions

The market for Bitcoin custody is evolving rapidly. Once a niche service, secure digital asset storage is now being developed by an increasing number of banks and wealth managers.

This shift signals Bitcoin’s growing maturity as an asset class: traditional financial institutions are integrating digital assets into their existing infrastructure while complying with stricter regulatory frameworks.

For clients, it means more choice and stronger protection, and for the industry, an important step towards broader institutional adoption.

Macro Economy

An overview of relevant global economic events:

Bond markets under pressure as interest rates stay high

Global bond markets are once again under pressure. Persistently high interest rates are driving steep declines in long-term government bonds, in some cases comparable to the drawdowns seen in 2022. U.S. and European sovereign bonds with maturities of ten years or more have been hit particularly hard.

For investors, this means the traditional “safe haven” is losing its reliability. Where bonds once provided stability within a balanced portfolio, structurally higher rates are now eroding their value.

This reinforces the search for alternative stores of value, assets that are independent of monetary policy and debt markets.

Trump’s tariffs and their impact on European markets

The recent announcement of new U.S. import tariffs on Chinese goods by President Trump has sparked renewed turbulence across global markets. The measures, aimed at protecting domestic industry, are creating volatility in equities and commodities worldwide.

For Europe, the impact is twofold: on one hand, economic pressure from disrupted trade flows; on the other, a strengthening U.S. dollar amid geopolitical uncertainty. Both dynamics weigh on the euro and are driving investors to seek stability beyond the traditional financial system.

In this context, Bitcoin’s role as a borderless, neutral asset becomes increasingly relevant. It serves not only as a hedge against currency volatility but also as a means of capital preservation in a less predictable geopolitical environment.