Malta | Crypto

Licensed by Austria’s Financial Market Authority, KuCoin EU can operate across 29 EEA countries, excluding Malta. Major cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin is the latest company to secure a license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework. KuCoin’s European arm, KuCoin EU, secured a MiCA license from the Financial Market Authority of Austria, the company said in a statement shared with Cointelegraph on Friday. The authorization allows KuCoin EU to offer crypto asset services across 29 countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), excluding Malta, according to the exchange’s representatives. Read more

Blockchain.com praised Malta’s regulatory clarity while member states still argued over how MiCA should apply across the EU. Blockchain.com, one of the oldest crypto platforms operating a wallet and a blockchain explorer, has received regulatory approval in Europe as it ramps up compliance efforts. Blockchain.com obtained a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) license from the Maltese Financial Services Authority (MFSA), the company said on Thursday. With the license, Blockchain.com is enabled to provide custody and wallet services in 30 European Economic Area (EEA) countries and plans to roll out institutional services, including treasury management. Read more

Malta’s Finance Minister Clyde Caruana backed a government-run charity’s decision to reject a now $33 million Binance donation due to reputational concerns. Malta’s finance minister backed a government-run charity’s decision to reject a multimillion-dollar crypto donation from Binance Charity, saying the refusal was the right call despite the funds’ ballooning value, according to the Times of Malta. Finance Minister Clyde Caruana reportedly said Tuesday he supported the Malta Community Chest Fund’s decision to decline a 30,644 BNB (BNB) donation, worth about $200,000 in 2018 but now valued at roughly $33 million. “You either give to charity or you don’t,” he told the Times of Malta. “Don’t dance around it.” Read more

The Winklevoss twins-owned Gemini exchange continues its expansion in Europe, securing a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation license in Malta. Cryptocurrency exchange Gemini received a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) license in Malta, supporting the company’s ongoing expansion in Europe. The Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss-owned exchange secured a MiCA license from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) on Wednesday, according to official MFSA records. “Receiving this approval marks a critical milestone in our regulated European expansion, as it will allow us to expand our secure and reliable crypto products for customers in over 30 European countries and jurisdictions,” Gemini said in a statement shared with Cointelegraph. Read more

Malta has sought to lead the way in EU crypto regulation, though early leadership has not come without its challenges. Malta’s cryptocurrency market regulator said that none of the local licenses issued under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) are at risk following a recent peer review by European Union regulators. “No MiCA license in Malta is at risk of revocation or re-evaluation as a result of the peer review outcomes,” a spokesperson for the MFSA told Cointelegraph, adding that the authority has already started addressing the issues identified in the review. The statement came after the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), Europe’s primary supervisory body overseeing MiCA compliance, on Thursday released a peer review on certain MiCA authorization gaps by Malta’s Financial Services Authority (MFSA). Read more

Malta’s MFSA only “partially met expectations” in the MiCA authorization process for a specific CASP, according to the EU securities regulator. Malta’s cryptocurrency licensing process has come under scrutiny from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), Europe’s primary supervisory body overseeing the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). The ESMA on Thursday released a review of the authorization process of crypto asset service providers (CASPs) by Malta’s Financial Services Authority (MFSA), highlighting several shortfalls and proposing a set of recommendations. Despite saying the MFSA met certain expectations in supervisory setup and staffing, the EU watchdog said the Maltese authorities only “partially met expectations” in the authorization process for an unidentified CASP. Read more