Mica | Crypto

The lender will offer crypto trading through its Bolero platform as Belgium’s MiCA rules take effect, despite no licenses yet appearing on the ESMA’s register. Update (Jan. 16, 1:15 pm UTC): This article has been updated to add commentary from KBC Bank. KBC, one of Belgium’s largest banks, is set to roll out Bitcoin and Ether trading to retail investors next month via its own custodial solution and investment platform. From Feb. 16, KBC customers will be able to buy and sell crypto assets through the online investment platform Bolero, the bank announced Thursday. Read more

Crossmint has secured MiCA authorization from Spain’s CNMV to operate as a crypto asset service provider, allowing it to passport stablecoin infrastructure services across the EU. Crossmint has secured a Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) authorization from Spain’s securities regulator CNMV to operate as a crypto asset service provider (CASP), positioning it as a regulated stablecoin infrastructure provider across all 27 European Union member states.  Miguel Angel Zapatero, Crossmint general counsel, told Cointelegraph that the company was held to “the exact same standards” as traditional financial institutions, marking an end to any notion that MiCA offers a lighter regime for crypto businesses.  He said that MiCA created a “level playing field” and built confidence in the sector thanks to “consistent standards and enforcement,” adding that the days of the “wild wild west” era were over, and that MiCA brought “certainty to more traditional clients who were not confident enough in crypto technology.” ...

Retail crypto access will initially cover Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin and Cardano through participating cooperative banks. DZ Bank, one of Germany’s largest banking groups by assets, secured a license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), clearing a key regulatory hurdle to operate crypto services within the jurisdiction.  DZ Bank announced Wednesday that it had received approval from Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) to operate its crypto platform, “meinKrypto,” which is designed to provide crypto trading infrastructure to banks within Germany’s cooperative banking network. The platform will be made available to participating local banks in the coming months.  Under the model, DZ Bank will act as the central operator of the platform, while individual cooperative banks will determine whether to offer the crypto services to their retail customers. Each participating bank must file a separate MiCA notification with BaFin before enabling crypto trading. Read ...

Spain’s securities regulator, CNMV, has spelled out how it plans to run MiCA in practice, using a Q&A to inform crypto companies what to expect. Spain’s national securities regulator, the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV), has published a dedicated Q&A laying out how it intends to apply the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) on the ground. The document outlines what crypto companies can expect on authorizations, notifications, day-to-day conduct and the transitional regime, pushing platforms toward a clear “comply or quit” decision as MiCA comes into force. The move puts Spain alongside other EU member states, including Italy, which are actively using MiCA’s transitional flexibilities rather than allowing prolonged regulatory uncertainty. Read more

Italy’s markets regulator sets firm MiCA deadlines, forcing VASPs to seek authorization or exit by Dec. 30, and urges investors to check providers’ compliance plans. Italy’s securities regulator set a firm timetable for applying the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) in the country, warning that unlicensed crypto platforms face a deadline to either seek authorization or leave the market. The move directly affects virtual asset service providers (VASPs) currently operating under Italy’s regime and the retail investors who use them.​ In a news release published Thursday, Italy’s Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB) reminded the market that Dec. 30 is the last day VASPs registered with the Organismo Agenti e Mediatori (OAM) can operate under the existing national framework. Read more

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