Bitget has named Oliver Stauber as CEO of Bitget EU and confirmed plans to establish its European headquarters in Vienna, Austria. It is a move the company says is part of its preparations to operate under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR). The appointment and the decision to build an Austrian hub mark a clear strategic pivot as Bitget positions Europe at the center of its Universal Exchange (UEX) vision.
Stauber arrives with deep experience in European regulatory, legal and executive roles across digital assets and financial services. Before joining Bitget EU, he was Managing Director and CEO of KuCoin EU Holding GmbH in Vienna and previously held senior responsibilities, including Chief Legal Officer at Bitpanda, where he led group legal, regulatory and compliance functions as well as licensing and supervisory engagement across multiple jurisdictions. Bitget said it expects Stauber to lead the build-out of a governance-first, scalable regional platform that can meet MiCAR’s harmonized rules on user protection, disclosures and operational resilience.
Gracy Chen, Bitget’s global CEO, framed the move as a long-term commitment to Europe. “Oliver’s appointment builds our confidence in Bitget’s long-term presence in Europe,” Chen said, adding that Stauber brings the “regulatory fluency and operational discipline” needed to set up the firm’s EU headquarters and to earn regulator confidence through transparent engagement. According to the company, the Vienna hub will be an operational center for compliance, governance and supervisory coordination across the European Economic Area.
Stauber echoed that focus, describing MiCAR as a reset for how digital-asset services are governed in Europe and promising a “regulated, scalable setup” in Vienna to serve EEA users with secure, efficient and smart digital transactions under robust risk controls and transparent operations. Bitget made clear that Bitget EU will not offer services in the EU/EEA until it has received the necessary regulatory authorizations and licensing.
Bitget Strengthens European Push
The Vienna announcement also reflects a broader evolution in Bitget’s European strategy. The exchange has been preparing for MiCAR compliance for some time, previously signalling plans to create a European regional hub and to recruit compliance and operations staff in the region. Establishing a headquarters in Austria would place Bitget alongside other industry players that have chosen EEA bases to coordinate licensing, supervisory engagement and market access under the new regulatory regime.
Bitget describes itself as the world’s largest Universal Exchange (UEX), serving more than 125 million users and offering access to over two million crypto tokens as well as tokenized stocks, ETFs, commodities, FX and precious metals. The company has been pushing its UEX model and new product suites, including tokenized TradFi and an AI agent to co-pilot trade execution, while pursuing partnerships in sport and education to broaden mainstream adoption. The firm has also touted market leadership in tokenized TradFi and significant growth metrics in recent months.
Bitget’s European roadmap will, the company says, prioritize regulatory readiness, a robust compliance foundation and operational transparency to build a marketplace that supports long-term participation and meets the standards of Europe’s evolving supervisory environment. With MiCAR set to harmonize rules across the bloc, exchanges are racing to present locally accountable governance, and Bitget’s Vienna plans signal its intent to be part of that regulated future.
