Cryptocurrency
FACEIT partners with crypto fintech platform Cake DeFi in multi million dollar deal that will allow players to earn cryptocurrency
FACEIT, the world’s leading platform for competitive online gaming, has today announced a multi-million dollar partnership with Cake DeFi, one of the world’s fastest growing crypto fintech platforms, which allows users to earn cash flow from their crypto. Facilitated by Pivot Agency, the collaboration will provide Cake DeFi with authentic brand exposure to all FACEIT users globally through a series of bespoke and multifaceted gaming experiences which will offer the community a chance to win crypto. This year Cake DeFi will be offering players more than half a million dollars in prizes, paid in crypto.
Research suggests that 55% of the Millennials gamers own crypto as compared to just 5% of all Millennials1, illustrating the natural connection between the gaming and crypto industry.
The partnership with FACEIT marks Cake DeFi’s first move into the gaming and esports space. The agreement will offer the company access to FACEIT’s 25 million user base, the largest network of competitive gamers, and will offer players a unique opportunity to earn actual crypto prizes while playing. Furthermore, through Cake DeFi’s platform and access to decentralised finance applications, they can compound their winnings and earn returns on their crypto.
Michele Attisani, Co-Founder & CBO of FACEIT said: The FACEIT platform is home to the largest community of competitive gamers, which means we have a unique understanding of this audience. Our users are incredibly forward thinking and educated when it comes to crypto, so the partnership we chose had to bring tangible and substantial value to be of interest. The collaboration with Cake DeFi is much more than brand integration, and offers our community clear experiential and financial benefits which go beyond what any partnerships of this type has delivered before.
FACEIT users are core gamers who spend an average of 2.5hrs a day on the platform. A recent survey of FACEIT users found that many were already interested in, and investing in crypto, showing a natural synergy between both brands and industries:
- They are innovative thinkers with 66% agreeing that cryptocurrencies are the future of online transactions
- 80% have heard of Crypto
- 36% invest in Crypto
- 46% very Likely or Likely to use Crypto in next 12 months – 4x more likely than the general population to use Cryptocurrency for online purchases
The partnership will incorporate Cake DeFi Missions, involving in-game tasks and monthly challenges for players to complete in order to win crypto prizes. It will also include Cake DeFi Weekly Tournaments which will run throughout the year and will be open to FACEIT players around the world. Players will be able to earn even greater rewards on the crypto they win when they sign up to Cake DeFi. All crypto prizes are redeemable through their Cake DeFi account, allowing FACEIT to expand its current play-to-earn offering.
Speaking about the partnership, Dr. Julian Hosp, CEO and Co-Founder of Cake DeFi said, “Gamers have a natural affinity with crypto and they can now join us on the DeFi movement. Cake DeFi’s partnership with FACEIT will allow players to earn crypto while they game, and further earn returns on their crypto through our platform. In 2021, we paid out US$230 million in rewards to our customers. So it’s a win-win-win for FACEIT gamers.”
Cake DeFi is the leading crypto fintech platform that provides users access to DeFi (decentralised finance) services and applications such as liquidity mining, staking and lending, which generates regular returns for users. They currently manage over $1 billion in customer assets and offer users one of the highest returns on crypto in the market, as a one stop platform that is easy-to-use, secure and transparent. Last year they paid out $230 million in rewards to customers and this year they are looking to increase this to 74% more, or $400 million, in rewards.
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Crypto
Tequity joins Hub88 aggregator platform to accelerate operator access to Originals and Crypto Trading games
Tequity, the rising iGaming software innovator, has successfully integrated its content portfolio into Hub88’s gaming aggregation platform, providing operator partners worldwide with a streamlined route to market.
The partnership enables Hub88’s network of operators to enrich their lobbies with Tequity’s high-performance titles via a single API, allowing rapid deployment and seamless content delivery.
Hub88 clients now have access to Tequity’s Originals portfolio, featuring 17 fast-paced, streamer-friendly, and fully customisable in-house games, as well as the new Crypto Trading games series, which brings crypto market-inspired gameplay directly into the casino environment.
The integration also includes Tequity’s Publishing vertical, with Mirror Image Gaming’s Royal Drop as the first third-party title available through Hub88 distribution.
Operators benefit from a broader content mix with strong advantages in brand control and operational confidence. Extensive customisation options allow partners to tailor game look, feel, and UI, all supported by a robust, engineering-led infrastructure designed for global scale and performance.
Dominic Sawyer, VP of Growth at Tequity, said:
“Hub88 is an ideal distribution partner for studios and operators building for scale. This onboarding makes Tequity content more accessible across Originals, Crypto Trading games, and Publishing, with a focus on fast rollout and full brand control. We have several operator partners scheduled to go live in the coming weeks.”
Ollie Castleman, Managing Director of Hub88, added:
“We are excited to onboard Tequity to our platform. Their Originals, Crypto Trading, and Publishing content provide our operator partners with a diverse, differentiated game offering and a simple, efficient path to launch.”
The post Tequity joins Hub88 aggregator platform to accelerate operator access to Originals and Crypto Trading games appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Compliance Updates
Crypto.com Receives Limited Financial Institutions Licence in Europe
Crypto.com has announced another regulatory milestone: its EU MiCA regulated entity has received a Limited Financial Institutions licence from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). The approval allows the company to continue delivering its full suite of stablecoin services – qualifying as payment services – across the European Union, without disruption.
This additional licence is for the provision of services exclusively in relation to electronic money tokens (EMTs). The licence was acquired to navigate a complex regulatory landscape resulting in overlapping crypto asset services (MiCA) and payment services (PSD2). By securing the Limited Financial Institution Licence, Crypto.com has addressed both regulatory regimes ensuring full compliance across every aspect of its stablecoin operations.
Crypto.com’s Malta entity received MiCA approval in January 2025, allowing the company to passport services across the European Economic Area (EEA). Notably, Crypto.com already holds a full Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence in Europe, making it one of the most comprehensively authorised platforms operating in the region.
“We are one of the most regulated crypto platforms in the world and receiving this licence proves, yet again, that we are committed to working with authorities to ensure the strongest compliance standards. Our stablecoin business and services remain a pivotal part of our European product offering so it was vital we secured this limited licence to continue providing seamless access to our institutional and retail customers,” said Eric Anziani, President and Chief Operating Officer at Crypto.com.
The limited Financial Institutions licence adds to Crypto.com’s expanding list of licences and registrations globally including, but not limited to, a UK Electronic Money Institution licence (FCA), a Major Payment Institution licence in Singapore (MAS), a Virtual Assets Service Provider licence in Dubai (VARA), U.S. Money Transmitter Licences, U.S. Designated Contracts Market (DCM) & Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) licences and recently conditional approval from the U.S. OCC for a National Trust Bank Charter.
The post Crypto.com Receives Limited Financial Institutions Licence in Europe appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Crypto
UK To Explore Crypto Gambling Framework
Legal crypto gambling could be coming to the UK after the country’s regulator announced on Thursday (Feb 26) that it will begin working on new rules to support the sector.
Gambling Commission executive director Tim Miller revealed in a speech this week that regulatory officials have concluded allowing licensing operators to transact in crypto is likely a wise move.
Responding to growing demand for gambling with cryptocurrencies, and undeniable evidence that consumers are turning to the black market in search of crypto-friendly operators, Miller said the process was already underway.
Characterising the project as “tentative” and promising no timelines or outcomes, Miller nevertheless said he had instructed the commission’s Industry Forum to begin work on detailing how crypto gambling could be regulated in the UK.
The Forum is composed of industry figures from the online and retail sectors, including representatives from Flutter and Rank Group.
Addressing the Betting and Gaming Council AGM on Thursday, Miller said: “There will be significant challenges and risks to overcome in considering this topic but I am keen that we approach this in the spirit of exploring the art of the possible, rather than starting from a position of finding all the reasons not to innovate.”
Recent work undertaken by the Gambling Commission to try and understand why gamblers choose to leave the regulated market and gamble offshore has identified a desire to bet with crypto as the second-largest motivator.
One UK legal expert told EEGaming that the project was “long overdue”.
“A credible, regulated pathway would be a more effective consumer protection tool than de-facto prohibition if it reduces displacement offshore, which invariably it would,” said Chris Elliot, a partner at Wiggin law firm in London.
Elliot noted that the commission does not appear to be proposing specific “crypto licences”, but is instead “exploring a framework under which UK-licensed operators could accept crypto as a consumer payment option”.
Regulators in partnership
The Commission’s renewed willingness to consider allowing crypto gambling is also being driven by more secure legislative foundations that are set to come into effect in the UK.
Miller pointed to the “Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2025”, which was presented by the government in December.
The new statutory instrument would regulate more uses of crypto-assets by establishing a series of regulatory frameworks.
This comes as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is itself consulting on new rules for crypto in the UK.
This work will form the bedrock of any efforts by the Gambling Commission to loosen crypto gambling rules, Miller said.
It may also provide some clues as to the timeline of any crypto-liberalisation by the commission, Elliot noted.
“If the FCA authorisation regime is phased in over a longer period, mainstream adoption in UK gambling could be correspondingly slow,” he warned.
“That said, existing AML registration requirements for crypto-asset service providers already provide some baseline assurance, which could support earlier experimentation if the commission is serious about tackling black-market growth.”
Fraud on the brain
Regulatory sources who spoke to EEGaming pointed to the role the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) may be playing in accelerating crypto regulation.
The international money laundering watchdog — which has had notable interventions in the gambling market over recent years through its temporary greylisting of Malta and Gibraltar — has told national governments they should be regulating crypto providers, not trying to prohibit their use in the legal economy.
The UK is scheduled to undergo an assessment by the FATF in 2027.
That provides an extra impetus for the UK to have its crypto regulations in order, but allowing digital assets to flow into the economy more readily, especially via gambling, brings added risks.
“Like any new payment method, it will introduce new fraud/AML typologies,” explained Elliot. “But ‘new’ doesn’t automatically mean ‘higher’. In some respects, crypto can support a more robust control environment than fiat payments, particularly where cash is involved,” he noted.
“Operators wishing to drive this agenda will need to be able demonstrate, with evidence, why these risks can be managed through the controls put in place,” he said.
Crypto revolution?
Although the UK Gambling Commission is only at the beginning of this process, Miller’s announcement is sure to have an impact internationally, particularly at some of the European regulators with which it shares close ties.
EEGaming asked the Netherlands Gambling Authority, which signed a new memorandum of understanding with the commission in November, whether it would now be considering a crypto-revolution of its own.
“Although the KSA thinks allowing crypto payments might help battle illegal offering, there are too many complications right now to just go along with it,” a spokesperson said.
“We are looking into this for the future.”
The post UK To Explore Crypto Gambling Framework appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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