Nederlandse Cense Behaalt Overwinning in Europese Finale van Mastercard For Fintechs

“We are going to rock it in Barcelona,” promised Hugo Leijtens back in October after the Dutch victory. That promise has been fulfilled. The Dutch startup Cense has been crowned the overall winner of Mastercard For Fintechs 2025 in Barcelona. Competing against 244 applicants, the regtech specialist took home the grand prize during the European finals.

The event took place at Torres Glòries in Barcelona, bringing together national winners from Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Cense faced off against five other finalists, evaluated on their innovation capabilities, team experience, and scalability.

Ultimately, the jury chose the Dutch submission as the champion of West European innovation.

As a regtech company, Cense operates at a complex intersection in the financial world: bridging the gap between banks and crypto. The startup assists banks in securely accepting cryptocurrency transactions by automating controls and ensuring full compliance with laws and regulations. This approach reduces friction during onboarding, enabling banks to operate more quickly and securely in the crypto domain.

Growth Accelerator

The victory in Spain brings Cense more than just a trophy. The startup will receive €100,000 in marketing support and exclusive access to the Mastercard Start Path program. Additionally, they will be connected with experts from the payment ecosystem for mentorship. These resources are aimed at helping the startup expand their impact in Europe.

For Hugo Leijtens (Chief Strategy Officer at Cense), the win serves as validation of their mission. “We are incredibly grateful for this recognition and for the opportunity that Mastercard offers us to continue growing. This distinction not only propels our project forward, but also inspires us to keep innovating and adding value to the fintech ecosystem.”