Januar

Januar is a Danish-licensed payment institution that provides fiat payment infrastructure for crypto businesses in the European Economic Area (EEA). It offers dedicated EUR IBAN accounts, embedded banking via API, and an OTC trading desk (Januar Trade) for fiat-to-crypto conversions. Its custody solution uses Fireblocks with MPC technology, supporting BTC, ETH, SOL, TRX, USDC, and EURC.

Core strengths: full regulatory compliance (PSD2 license, MiCA-aligned), direct access to SEPA payment schemes, and a closed-loop network (Januar Instant Network) enabling instant 24/7 fiat transfers between clients. This reduces reliance on traditional banks and avoids settlement delays.

Market pain points addressed: many crypto companies struggle to open and maintain bank accounts due to strict AML/KYC policies. Januar solves this by offering compliant, stable IBAN accounts tailored for crypto operations, while also providing liquidity management outside banking hours.

Recent developments (Feb–Aug 2026): Januar gained direct access to central bank-operated payment infrastructure, reducing intermediary dependence. It also halted USDT trading for EU customers in early 2025 to comply with MiCA/ESMA guidelines, but retains full wallet support. No major negative events reported in the last two years.