We are in the Media
Stay up-to-date with the latest developments and milestones as you explore the dynamic world of Simplify Labs through the lens of the press.What MiCA actually demanded
Under MiCA, CASP authorization requires tiered minimum capital: €50,000 for advisory services, €125,000 for exchange and custody, and €150,000 for operating a trading platform — plus own funds equal to at least one quarter of the previous yearʼs fixed overheads. Beyond capital, it requires EU legal presence with resident directors, documented governance frameworks, DORA-aligned IT resilience from January 2025, segregated client custody, AML/KYC depth aligned with the EU Travel Rule, and machine-readable reporting in JSON and iXBRL formats — the latter mandatory from December 2025.
Aug 5, 2026
9 min readThe Great Split: Regulated Europe vs The Rest of Crypto
July 1, 2026 marked the end of MiCAʼs EU-wide transitional period. Every crypto-asset service provider operating in the European Economic Area must now hold full CASP authorization or cease offering services to EU customers. There are no extensions left, no grandfathering windows remaining, no national exceptions still running. The framework is live, and the divide it has been quietly creating for the past eighteen months is now structural.
Aug 4, 20269 min readCrypto Didn't Crash the Party at iFX EXPO 2026 - It Built the Venue
If MiCA was the compliance conversation, the product conversation on the floor was more basic — and, according to Karym Abdelrakhman, CEO of Simplify Labs, it was everywhere. His company builds white-label technology for exchanges, OTC desks, on/off-ramps, payment systems, and crypto card programs — the layer of the stack where those two conversations meet.
Jul 13, 20269 min readCrypto Card Spending Hit $600 Million a Month
According to Dune Analytics, total net spend across six crypto cards issued by blockchain projects in partnership with Visa climbed from $14.6 million in January 2025 to $91.3 million by December — a 525% increase in a single year. These are not fintech companies or neobanks.
Jul 1, 20267 min readCrypto Card Spending Hit $600 Million a Month. Most Platforms Aren’t Seeing a Cent of It
Most crypto projects think about revenue in one dimension: trading fees. And for exchanges and OTC desks, that logic has held for years. But there is a second revenue layer that most platforms are leaving entirely on the table — one that activates every time a user spends, not just when they trade. Crypto cards are that layer. And the numbers from 2025 make the opportunity hard to ignore.
Jun 25, 20267 min readPodcast | Signals Through the Noise: People Not AI Agents
Everyone seems excited about AI agents. The promise is simple: faster decisions, less friction, more automation. But what happens when those decisions involve real money, real risk, and real consequences? In this episode of the Crypto Hipster Podcast, I sit down with Karym Abdelrakhman, CEO of Simplify Labs, to explore the tradeoffs behind automation, infrastructure, and financial decision-making.
Jun 4, 202640 min readLaunching crypto exchanges in Europe without a MiCA license from scratch
As Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework moves closer to full implementation, crypto companies across the industry are facing increasing pressure to adapt before the transition period officially ends. For businesses planning to enter the European market, the question is no longer whether MiCA will reshape the industry — but how quickly companies can comply and continue operating competitively.
May 29, 20265 min readAI Trading Systems: Who’s Responsible When It All Breaks?
Financial firms are no longer experimenting with AI trading systems in isolated pilot environments. The question used to be whether AI could be trusted to assist with financial decisions. For crypto markets in 2026, that question is obsolete. AI is already executing trades, managing liquidity positions, and operating connectors between exchanges and analytics infrastructure. The more urgent question, and only a few organizations have answered, is what happens when it fails?
May 26, 20267 min read72 Hours to Launch Your Crypto Cards
Crypto adoption is finally reaching the real economy. Visa has reported billions of dollars in spending through crypto-linked card programs, while Mastercard continues expanding partnerships with blockchain platforms to support stablecoin and digital asset payments. Wallets that once served primarily as trading accounts are gradually becoming spending accounts.
Apr 13, 20265 min read