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Aave Labs just checked another regulatory box, and this one matters. Its two UK subsidiaries, Push Labs Limited and Push Virtual Assets Limited, have secured registration with the Financial Conduct Authority as cryptoasset exchange providers.
The registrations, numbered 1031720 and 1031721 respectively, mean these entities can now operate under UK anti-money laundering regulations.
What the registrations actually unlock
Both Push Labs Limited and Push Virtual Assets Limited already hold Electronic Money Institution authorization under the UK’s Electronic Money Regulations 2011, operating under firm reference number 900984. In English: they were already licensed to handle electronic money. Now they can layer crypto exchange services on top.
That dual authorization structure creates a foundation for offering regulated cryptoasset services across the UK, with the headline feature being zero-fee stablecoin on- and off-ramping.
Zero-fee on-ramping means users could convert pounds to stablecoins without paying transaction fees. Zero-fee off-ramping means the reverse, stablecoins back to pounds, also without fees.
Stani Kulechov, Founder and CEO of Aave Labs, framed the milestone as a stepping stone toward delivering what he called innovative, fee-free onchain consumer financial products.
A European regulatory blitz
The UK registrations didn’t happen in isolation. They follow closely on the heels of MiCAR CASP approval for Push’s Irish subsidiary, which enables similar fee-free stablecoin services across the entire European Economic Area.
Ireland gives Aave Labs a passport to serve the 30-country EEA. The UK, which exited the EU and operates its own regulatory framework, requires separate authorization. By securing both, Aave Labs has covered the two major regulatory jurisdictions in Europe in quick succession.
The FCA registration specifically addresses compliance with the UK’s 2017 Money Laundering Regulations.
Why investors should pay attention
What Aave Labs is building through its Push subsidiaries represents a bridge between DeFi and regulated financial services. Regulated crypto exchange services, combined with electronic money capabilities, combined with zero-fee stablecoin rails.
Regulatory registration tends to function as a prerequisite for institutional engagement. By stacking FCA registration on top of EMI authorization, Aave Labs’ subsidiaries become potential partners rather than compliance risks for traditional financial institutions operating in the UK.
For AAVE token holders specifically, the connection between Aave Labs’ corporate subsidiaries and the decentralized protocol’s token economics remains indirect. Aave Labs is a separate entity from the Aave DAO, and regulatory wins for the former don’t automatically translate into value accrual for the latter. Watching how these entities interact, and whether Push’s regulated services eventually route activity through the Aave protocol, will be the thing to monitor in the months ahead.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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