We’d love your feedback.
Take a 30-second survey to help improve The Block.
Bitget has announced the appointment of Oliver Stauber as chief executive of its European unit and the selection of Vienna, Austria, as its regional headquarters. The exchange said the moves come in preparation for Bitget EU to operate under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation.
Stauber joins Bitget EU following a tenure as Managing Director and CEO of KuCoin EU Holding GmbH in Vienna. His background also includes a role as Chief Legal Officer at Bitpanda, where he managed group legal, regulatory, and compliance functions, including jurisdictional licensing and supervisory engagement, according to a statement shared with The Block.
“Oliver’s appointment builds our confidence in Bitget’s long-term presence in Europe,” Bitget CEO Gracy Chen said in the statement. “He brings the regulatory fluency and operational discipline needed to set up our EU headquarters in Austria and strengthen a governance-first approach under MiCAR. His role is to lead a scalable, compliant regional platform that protects users, earns regulator confidence through transparency, and supports sustainable growth across the EU.”
The Vienna headquarters is intended to serve as an operational center for compliance, governance, and supervisory coordination across the European Economic Area. Stauber said the office will provide “secure, efficient, and smart digital transactions, supported by robust risk controls, transparent operations, and a strong commitment to user protection and regulatory standards.”
Bitget EU currently does not offer any services in the region. The entity will commence operations only after receiving the necessary regulatory authorization as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider, the exchange said. Once licensed, it plans to provide access to digital assets across the EEA.
Bitget strengthens UEX roadmap amid European expansion
The appointment of Oliver Stauber and the establishment of a Vienna headquarters coincides with Bitget’s ongoing push to implement its Universal Exchange (UEX) vision, as outlined in a whitepaper by Bitget Research Chief Analyst Ryan Lee published last week.
According to the whitepaper, the UEX framework rests on three pillars: asset universality, AI-driven intelligence, and a unified security framework. Asset universality allows users to access all cryptocurrencies and tokenized real-world assets, including stocks, ETFs, commodities, and forex, through one account, while AI-driven intelligence provides personalized trade execution. The unified security framework integrates hybrid custody, real-time risk monitoring, and a User Protection Fund to safeguard assets.
Bitget’s implementation of this roadmap is currently in “Phase 2,” characterized by the integration of onchain assets and tokenized traditional securities, Lee stated in the whitepaper.
The exchange has already enabled direct trading for millions of tokens across the Ethereum, BSC, Base, and Solana networks without requiring external wallet management. Additionally, the platform has integrated over 100 tokenized stocks and stock index perpetuals, allowing for 24/5 trading with USDT collateral in eligible jurisdictions.
The upcoming “Phase 3” of the UEX roadmap involves expanding asset availability to include gold, forex, and ETFs directly tradable via stablecoins. In the pipeline for the first half of 2026, Bitget also intends to upgrade its AI agent to execute complex derivatives orders and yield product subscriptions through natural-language instructions.
