With cryptocurrencies on the rise, innovative financial platforms are emerging as compelling competitors to the age-old banking model. Jos Lazet, the brain behind Blockrise, has given these modern platforms an interesting moniker, calling them “anarchist neobanks”. He highlights how digital currencies are reshaping value transactions on a global scale.
What Structures Support Modern Banking Systems?
Unlike traditional banks, these platforms don’t consolidate all services—such as payments, custody, and compliance—within a single entity. Instead, they rely on diverse infrastructure providers to piece together a seamless user experience similar to banking. Despite their seemingly familiar service offerings, the operations are executed by a network of qualified partners.
This decentralized approach benefits startups, which can collaborate with licensed banks, stablecoin entities, and blockchain networks without holding a banking license, allowing a focus on innovative financial products tailored for users.
Jos Lazet expressed, “Until now, Dutch Bitcoin users faced a choice between security and ease of use. The bunq platform now offers both features simultaneously.”
What Makes the Blockrise and bunq Collaboration Unique?
In a strategic move, Blockrise formed an alliance with the European online bank, bunq, in 2026. This partnership directly integrates Bitcoin with traditional banking, protecting user balances up to 100,000 euros under the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme.
By utilizing bunq’s Banking as a Service platform, Blockrise offers a wide range of services, including Bitcoin trading and loans alongside classic banking features, bypassing the cumbersome procedure of obtaining a banking license of its own.
The movement is gaining momentum globally. For example, RedotPay, a Hong Kong-based startup, is operating in over 100 countries with a mammoth transaction volume of 10 billion dollars annually and has achieved unicorn status. Similarly, Gnosis Pay and France’s Deblock bring unique models to the table, catering to specific user needs without compromising security.
– Blockrise allows risk-free fiat to Bitcoin transfers up to €100,000.
– RedotPay boasts a user base of 5 million globally.
– Gnosis Pay offers a card service devoid of third-party custody to ensure privacy.
Sector growth is being accelerated by investment in infrastructure and clear regulatory pathways. For instance, prominent acquisitions like Stripe’s purchase of Bridge are paving the way for more seamless crypto participation in everyday transactions. Simultaneously, stablecoin activities have soared, facilitating daily economic life alongside trading.
In the US, legislative developments like the GENIUS Act have created federal frameworks, while Europe’s MiCA regulations provide structure for crypto markets, further driving market integration. These initiatives ensure smoother transitions between fiat and crypto, although critics argue this might compromise Bitcoin’s foundational decentralized ethos.
