Zebec buys compliance firm Gatenox ahead of MiCA, FCA regulatory push

Financial infrastructure company Zebec Network has acquired Gatenox, a compliance and identity platform, to bring core regulatory infrastructure in-house and expand into more tightly regulated markets.

In an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, the company said the deal brings native Know Your Customer (KYC), Know Your Business (KYB) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) tools directly into its Web3 payment stack.

Neal Padhye, the head of mergers and acquisitions at Zebec, said that regulation is no longer optional and is now infrastructure. “With Gatenox, we’re embedding compliance into the foundation of programmable finance, making Zebec faster, safer and ready for institutional scale,” Padhye added.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but a Zebec spokesperson told Cointelegraph it was an all-cash transaction.

Zebec to pursue MiCA and FCA compliance

Zebec plans to leverage Gatenox’s technology to pursue regulatory registration under the European Union’sMarkets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and with the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) later in 2025.

The spokesperson told Cointelegraph that Gatenox is not registered with any financial authorities currently.

However, they said the team has extensive experience at regulated financial institutions like the Union Bank of Switzerland, the American International Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

“The two founders of Gatenox previously founded BLIK, the largest mobile payment platform in Eastern Europe, and Coinfirm,” the spokesperson told Cointelegraph, adding that these founders will join Zebec and advise on its compliance program.

The Gatenox dealfollowsZebec’s earlier acquisition of Science Card, a platform empowering students and researchers with financial tools. The company streamlines campus spending, research grants and budgeting.

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Gatenox acquisition to phase out third-party reliance

Zebec added that the move allows them to phase out reliance on third-party compliance providers, replacing them with Gatenox’s proprietary technology.

“Gatenox’s product offering is a direct competitor to Sumsub, and Zebec will be migrating away from Sumsub after this acquisition,” the spokesperson said.

Zebec Network has attracted significant investment since its inception in 2021. The company said it had secured $35 million from investors including Circle, Coinbase, Solana Ventures, Breyer Capital, Republic, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Its native token is also actively traded on exchanges like KuCoin, Bybit, OKX and Crypto.com.

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