Mica | 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

Aave said compliant, audited payment pathways are crucial for onboarding new users to decentralized finance. Aave Labs became one of the first major decentralized finance (DeFi) projects to secure authorization under Europe’s new Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, allowing the company to offer regulated stablecoin ramps across the European Economic Area (EEA). The approval enables “Push,” Aave Labs’ fiat-to-crypto service, to let users convert between euros and crypto assets, including the Aave protocol’s native stablecoin, GHO. The Central Bank of Ireland granted the authorization to Push Virtual Assets Ireland Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aave Labs.  The company selected Ireland for its European operations, signaling that the country is becoming a preferred hub for compliant onchain finance under MiCA. On June 25, the crypto exchange Kraken secured its MiCA authorization in Ireland, allowing it to expand its offerings across Europe.  Read more

The license positions Zerohash as one of the first MiCA-approved stablecoin infrastructure companies, strengthening its appeal to institutions. Stablecoin company Zerohash has secured a license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), making it one of the first infrastructure providers authorized to offer stablecoin services across the EU.  Zerohash Europe announced Sunday that it acquired a license from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). This allows the company to provide stablecoin and crypto products to banking institutions, financial technology companies and payment platforms across the 30 European Economic Area (EEA) countries. The AFM’s official registry confirmed that Zerohash has become a registered crypto-asset service provider (CASP).  The approval positions Zerohash’s European arm as a CASP that can function as the backbone for organizations exploring tokenized assets, stablecoins and other blockchain-based financial products.  Read more

MiCA deserves credit for imposing order on chaos, but its structure rests on a dangerous assumption: that proof-of-reserves equals proof-of-stability, argues Dr. Daniel D’Alvia. It does not.

Switzerland’s BTC-only investment app, Relai, obtained a MiCA license in France, aiming to bring Bitcoin to as many people as possible. Swiss Bitcoin-only investment app Relai is the latest crypto asset service provider (CASP) to receive approval under the European Union’s crypto regulatory framework. France’s financial markets regulator, Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), issued a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) license to Relai on Thursday, according to official records. “We’re incredibly proud to be one of the first Bitcoin companies to get the MiCA license and are eager to expand to France first and Europe in a second step,” Relai co-founder and CEO Julian Liniger said in a statement shared with Cointelegraph on Friday. 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

Revolut also revealed its Crypto 2.0 platform, which will feature over 280 tokens, zero-fee staking up to 22% APY and 1:1 stablecoin-to-US dollar conversion. Revolut obtained a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) license from the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), enabling it to offer regulated crypto services across all 30 markets in the European Economic Area (EEA). The move boosts Revolut’s expansion in the crypto market as the fintech prepares to launch its next-generation “Crypto 2.0” platform, the company said in a news release shared with Cointelegraph. “This authorisation enables us to deliver groundbreaking crypto products with enhanced transparency and trust for our growing customer base, while further reiterating our commitment to crypto as an asset class,” said Costas Michael, CEO of Revolut Digital Assets Europe. Read more

Tether’s USDT fell from 70% market dominance in November 2024 to 59.9% by October 2025, the second sub-60% reading in a single year, while Circle’s USDC climbed from 20.5% to 25.3% over the same span. The shift coincides with Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation enforcement, but the dynamics tell a more complex story than […] The post Tether’s $181B paradox: How USDT keeps growing as its market share collapses under MiCA appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The EU’s landmark crypto law was meant to unify the market with a single license. Less than a year in, diverging national approaches are raising fears of regulatory arbitrage and uncertainty. As the European Union rolls out its landmark Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, the law’s key promise of a unified market is already under pressure. In the latest episode of Byte-Sized Insight, Cointelegraph explored whether MiCA can live up to its promise.  The regulation was designed to simplify operations for crypto firms by introducing a single licensing system across all 27 member states. Once licensed in one country, companies would be able to “passport” their services across the bloc without navigating a patchwork of local rules. Read more

France signaled it may challenge the right of some crypto firms licensed in other European Union countries to operate domestically, escalating pressure for centralized oversight of the bloc’s digital asset industry, Reuters reported on Sept. 15. Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani, president of France’s financial regulator AMF, said the agency is increasingly concerned that under the EU’s new […] The post France moves to block crypto firms despite MiCA licensese due to lax standards in some jurisdictions appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The Dutch National Bank fined OKX $2.6 million for operating in the Netherlands without registration before the EU’s MiCA rules took effect. The Dutch National Bank (DNB) imposed a fine of 2.25 million euros ($2.6 million) on crypto exchange OKX for operating in the country without registering with the regulator. According to a Wednesday DNB announcement, the fine pertains to a period from July 2023 to August 2024, before the introduction of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regime. Local regulators began requiring crypto firms to register with the local central bank for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) purposes in early 2020. An OKX spokesperson told Cointelegraph that the company is “pleased to have resolved this matter” and “maintains that OKX did not actively target Dutch customers during the period in question.” The representative also highlighted that the fine “does not apply to, nor concern, our MiCAR-licensed entity, Okcoin Europe,” and that the Netherlands remains an important market fo...

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

The EU’s MiCA regulation surprised some doubters as major crypto exchanges lined up to get licenses. Despite initial concerns about its effect on the European crypto industry, the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation is proving a benefit to crypto customers and exchanges alike. The EU’s first regulatory package concerning cryptocurrencies has been in effect for almost 200 days, and since then, a number of prominent exchanges has set up operations on the continent. In its first two quarters of operation, MiCA has shirked critics’ expectations that it would “destroy” the European crypto industry by overburdening exchanges with regulations and requiring users to identify themselves to stay on regulated platforms.  Read more

Ripple told Cointelegraph it will apply for a MiCA license to expand its crypto and stablecoin operations across the European Economic Area. Payment solution company Ripple has confirmed its intention to pursue a Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) license to expand into the EU. In messages sent to Cointelegraph, a Ripple spokesperson said the company intends “to become MiCA-compliant” as it recognizes “significant opportunity in the European market.” The statement follows Ripple’s registration of Ripple Payments Europe S.A. in Luxembourg in late April. 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

Bitpanda’s public affairs lead, Benedikt Faupel, told Cointelegraph that while MiCA brings long-awaited regulatory clarity, harmonization is still lacking. Benedikt Faupel, head of public affairs at Austrian crypto exchange Bitpanda, said Europe’s flagship crypto regulation still allows uneven implementation across the bloc. Faupel told Cointelegraph on the sidelines of the German Blockchain Week that, as far as he knows, Bitpanda is the only player with three Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) licenses. The exchange was founded in Austria in 2014 and has since established additional offices in Berlin, Bucharest, London and elsewhere. Faupel said that MiCA provides the European Union with long-awaited regulatory clarity and harmonization. Before MiCA, he said, the European crypto landscape was fragmented into multiple separate licensing regimes, with Bitpanda previously holding 17 licenses. “With MiCA, you just make it way easier,” he said. Read more

Bybit and OKX have both launched MiCA-compliant crypto exchanges in the EU, marking a significant push into Europe’s newly unified regulatory landscape. Update (July 2, 2025, at 2:10 pm UTC): This article has been updated to add commentary by Erald Ghoos, OKX Europe CEO. Crypto exchanges Bybit and OKX both launched fully regulated platforms in Europe this week as regulatory clarity continues to attract major exchanges to the bloc. According to a Wednesday announcement, crypto exchange Bybit.eu launched to serve European Economic Area (EEA) users with a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) license under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework. Under the rules, Bybit’s Austria-based operations, established in late May, are licensed in 29 EEA countries. Read more

Bitvavo’s chief risk officer Jeetan Patel says the process of securing a MiCA license “progressed efficiently.” Bitvavo has become the latest crypto exchange to be granted a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license by the Dutch Authority for Financial Markets (AFM), allowing it to operate across Europe under the new regulatory framework. Bitvavo co-founder and CEO Mark Nuvelstijn confirmed the news in a statement on Friday and expressed his full support for the MiCA process. “We fully support the core principles of MiCAR,” he said, adding: Nuvelstijn said the license provides the crypto exchange with clear guidance and confidence to operate across Europe. MiCA is designed to standardize and regulate the crypto market across Europe, focusing on investor protection, financial stability and innovation. MiCA’s licensing window opened on Jan. 1. Read more

Several exchanges have announced MiCA licenses this year, following requirements being enforced in 2024 to offer digital asset services in the EU. Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken announced that it can now expand its offerings and across European Union’s member states after securing a license under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. In a Wednesday notice, Kraken said it had received the MiCA license from the Central Bank of Ireland, allowing the exchange to offer regulated services to residents in the 30 European Economic Area member states. The approval followed Kraken securing a Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) license in February and an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license in 2023. “We believe trust is the most valuable currency in crypto, and it’s something you earn. Over the past several years, our team has worked tirelessly to meet the [Central Bank of Ireland]’s gold standard regulatory expectations,” said Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi. Read more