ChainCatcher news, Ripple's Managing Director for Europe, Sendi Young, stated that the company has "recently" applied to register as a crypto asset company with the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and is seeking a payment institution license in Ireland.Young declined to disclose the numerical targets for Ripple's growth plans in the UK and Europe but confirmed that the company is still increasing its workforce and hiring for positions beyond critical roles. Over the past 18 months, Ripple's employee count in the UK and Europe has grown by approximately 75%, with more than 100 of its roughly 900 global employees based in offices in London, Dublin, and Reykjavik, Iceland.Additionally, Young stated that Ripple's position of having the U.S. as its global hub has "not changed."