• Januar has gained direct access to central bank-operated payment infrastructure enabling direct participation in SEPA payment schemes.
• The integration reduces Januar’s reliance on commercial intermediaries for parts of the euro payment chain, creating greater control over payment processing, costs, service quality and scalability.
• The development strengthens Januar’s position in European payments and provides a more resilient and flexible foundation for building financial services for digital asset businesses. 

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK | July 7, 10.00pm CET -Januar has gained direct access to central bank-operated payment infrastructure, enabling direct participation in SEPA payment schemes and giving the company greater control over how euro payments are delivered to its customers. 

The milestone reduces Januar’s reliance on commercial intermediaries for parts of the payment process and creates opportunities to improve efficiency, scalability and service quality as the company grows. 

“This is a major step for Januar and for competition in European payments. Access to central bank-operated infrastructure reduces our dependence on commercial intermediaries whose priorities do not always align with the needs of our customers. 

More importantly, it gives us a stronger foundation for building better, faster and more resilient financial products for digital asset businesses. Greater control over critical payment infrastructure creates more room for us to innovate, compete and deliver better settlement services across Europe. ”

— Rasmus Bjerregaard , CEO of Januar

Greater control when handling customers’ money

Payments infrastructure goes beyond cost or speed. When handling customers’ money, reliability, security and operational control are fundamental.

Direct access brings Januar closer to the underlying payment rails and gives us greater control over how euro payments are processed and delivered. Combined with direct participation in SEPA payment schemes, it reduces commercial dependencies and gives us greater flexibility in how we manage payment services as customer needs and volumes evolve. 

Building a stronger position in European payments 

Greater control over the payment layer strengthens Januar’s ability to compete on the quality, resilience and economics of the services we provide. It gives us more room to design payment products around the needs of digital asset businesses rather than around the limitations of third-party infrastructure. 

Since securing its Payment Institution licence in 2023, Januar has been developing financial infrastructure designed around the needs of digital asset businesses across the EEA. Direct access to central bank-operated payment infrastructure marks another step in that journey. 

From access to better financial infrastructure

Together with Januar's PSD2 Payment Institution status and MiCA authorisation, greater access to European payment infrastructure strengthens Januar’s ability to build regulated financial services across traditional currencies and digital assets. 

Direct participation in SEPA payment schemes adds another important layer to that infrastructure, giving Januar greater ownership of the financial services we build for the digital asset economy. 

About Januar

Januar is a Danish-licensed financial institution providing regulated IBAN, payment settlement across Europe, and access to digital asset infrastructure. Through direct integration, comprehensive API solutions and a direct platform, payment networks and businesses leveraging digital assets can easily get access to fast and reliable financial infrastructure.

Januar holds a Payment Institution licence under PSD2 and a Crypto-Asset Service Provider authorisation under MiCA, both granted by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority. The company serves business customers, payment and settlement networks, and crypto-native companies. 

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