Robinhood-Owned Bitstamp Wins VASP Registration in British Virgin Islands

In a major global expansion, Bitstamp, the crypto exchange owned by Robinhood, has gained Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registration in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

This is a move that expands Robinhood’s regulated footprint and strengthens Bitstamp’s credentials as a compliance-first trading venue for international and institutional clients.

Robinhood completed its acquisition of Bitstamp in early June 2025, bringing an exchange with decades of operating history and dozens of licences into the brokerage’s ecosystem. Since then, Bitstamp has continued to secure region-specific approvals. Most notably, this includes MiCA/CASP clearance from Luxembourg in May 2025 and now VASP.

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What VASP in BVI Means for Robinhood’s Bitstamp

A VASP license in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) means Bitstamp is formally regulated under the BVI Virtual Asset Service Providers Act.

It allows Bitstamp to legally offer crypto trading, custody, and transfer services from the jurisdiction.

For Robinhood-owned Bitstamp, this adds regulatory clarity and credibility. It confirms compliance with AML, KYC, and governance rules.

The approval will also help Bitstamp serve global and institutional clients more easily. When Bitstamp gets a VASP approval in BVI, it gains a recognized legal base to operate from. Many institutional clients such as banks, funds, market makers do not work with unregulated crypto entities. They need to see a license from a known regulator which Bitstamp now has.

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Why BVI Is a Crypto Structuring Hub

Robinhood’s exchange securing license in BVI Matters. The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is a tax-neutral base for global Web3 companies. It is widely used in crypto because it offers a 0% corporate income tax, 0% capital gains tax, and 0% withholding tax. It a tax-neutral base for global Web3 companies.

There is no VAT or sales tax, and offshore crypto firms usually do not file corporate tax returns. Most companies use BVI as a holding or licensing jurisdiction, not an operating market.

Interestingly, well-known crypto firms that have used or continue to use BVI-incorporated entities.

For example, Binance has a BVI-licensed arm (LTP) and other BVI-linked vehicles. Huobi has holding companies formed in the BVI. OKX maintains BVI holding/fintech companies. Kraken uses a BVI affiliate (Payward Trading Ltd). Other notable crypto firms with BVI entities include Bitfinex (iFinex).

Many smaller wallets, protocol issuers and funds also use BVI registrations for holding, token issuance or licensing.

Thus, the British Virgin Islands is not where crypto is traded – it’s where crypto is structured. This approval adds to the region’s growing list of regulatory credentials and will help Robinhood’s exchange to expand.