Mica | Crypto

MiCA’s licensing clarity helped Europe capture crypto flows as US retail activity declined despite a crypto-friendly Trump administration. Europe is pulling ahead in the global crypto race under its Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, outpacing even President Donald Trump’s crypto-friendly America. According to Konstantins Vasilenko, co-founder and chief business development officer at Paybis, trading volumes from EU customers jumped 70% quarter-on-quarter in Q1 2025, right after the MiCA regulation took effect. During the same period, Paybis activity in the US started trending in the opposite direction. Vasilenko told Cointelegraph that while US retail activity was declining, European users have been placing larger, more deliberate trades. Read more

Coinbase, the largest US-based exchange, has taken a major step in its global expansion by securing approval under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, according to a June 20 statement. The exchange confirmed that Luxembourg’s financial watchdog, the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), granted it the necessary license to operate across the […] The post Coinbase secures MiCA approval, shifts headquarters to Luxembourg appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Coinbase joins other exchanges such as OKX and Bybit that have secured MiCA licenses in a bid to take advantage of regulatory clarity in Europe. Coinbase has secured a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license from the Luxembourg Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier, which enables the exchange to offer crypto products across European Union countries. The move signals mounting competition in the European crypto market, where other exchanges have also been pursuing registrations. OKX and Crypto.com secured MiCA licenses in January, followed by Bybit in May. Gemini is also on track to obtain a license in the region, according to a Reuters report. Coinbase has named Luxembourg as its new European headquarters, citing the country’s reputation as a progressive financial center in Western Europe. Bordered by Belgium, France and Germany, the country has been gradually advancing crypto regulations since 2019. Read more

Gemini is set to receive approval from Malta, while Coinbase is expected to get the green light from Luxembourg, according to Reuters. Crypto exchanges Gemini and Coinbase are reportedly set to secure licenses to operate in the European Union, marking a significant step in their expansion under the newly implemented Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulations. Gemini is on track to receive approval from Malta, while Coinbase is expected to obtain its license through Luxembourg, Reuters reported Monday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. A Coinbase spokesperson declined to comment on the specific application but told Reuters that Luxembourg is a “well-respected global financial center.” Read more

Europe plans to regulate decentralized finance in 2026, as lawmakers still struggle to define decentralization under MiCA, an EU crypto policy expert said. European lawmakers have yet to define “decentralization,” even as regulators begin preparing for decentralized finance (DeFi) to become a key focus of crypto policy in 2026. The world’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for the crypto industry, the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), went into effect on Dec. 30, 2024. Among its aims are to boost investor protection, prevent fraud and address stablecoin reserve management. Still, as MiCA enters its final implementation phase, policymakers are shifting their attention to regulating DeFi, where many questions remain unresolved, according to Vyara Savova, senior policy lead at the European Crypto Initiative (EUCI). Read more

MiCA has had a limited impact on the adoption of compliant stablecoins in Europe, strengthening the need for the digital euro, Bank of Italy Governor Fabio Panetta said. Former European Central Bank (ECB) official and Governor of the Bank of Italy, Fabio Panetta, touted the digital euro as a key tool for controlling the risks of increasing cryptocurrency adoption. The Bank of Italy, on May 30, released an annual report with the governor’s concluding remarks on the state of the economy. Panetta said the European Union must move forward with the central bank digital currency (CBDC) project to maintain financial stability and meet demand for secure digital payments. “We would be remiss to think that the evolution of crypto-assets can be controlled only through rules and restrictions,” Panetta said, warning that crypto regulation alone cannot address the systemic risks posed by crypto, and that the digital euro would be key to addressing them. Read more

Bybit has received regulatory approval under the EU's MiCA framework and has opened its European headquarters in Vienna. Bybit has obtained a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) license from Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA), allowing the exchange to expand into the European market. The approval allows Bybit EU, registered under commercial number 636180i, to operate as a regulated crypto asset service provider (CASP) and extend its services across all 29 European Economic Area member states. As part of its expansion, Bybit has officially established its European headquarters in Vienna, Austria, according to a May 29 news release shared with Cointelegraph. Read more

The following article is a guest post and opinion of Mike Romanenko, CVO & Co-founder of Kyrrex. The Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) seeks to protect investors and make the rules clear for European crypto companies. However, according to Mike Romanenko, CVO and Co-Founder of Kyrrex, they keep worried about how having strict rules […] The post Myth or reality? MiCA and its real impact on the market debunking common misconceptions appeared first on CryptoSlate.

With Tether stepping back and BitGo stepping up, MiCA’s rollout is already redrawing crypto’s playing field in Europe. Here’s what’s happening, and what comes next. The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation — better known as MiCA — is now in its critical implementation phase. Designed to unify crypto regulation across all 27 EU member states, MiCA promises clarity, consumer protection and long-term market stability. But as implementation begins, cracks are already showing. In this week’s episode of Byte-Sized Insight, we explore the key provisions of MiCA now in force, particularly around stablecoins, and why some of the largest players in the market are refusing to comply. As of January 2025, crypto asset service providers (CASPs) began acquiring licenses to operate legally within the EU. A transitional or “grandfathering” period allows existing firms up to 18 months, depending on the member state, to comply. Still, with deadlines approaching, firms are being forced to act quickly. Read more

Paolo Ardoino said that the recently implemented European framework on digital assets was "very dangerous when it comes to stablecoins." Paolo Ardoino, CEO of stablecoin issuer Tether, addressed criticism over the company's decision not to seek registration under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, arguing that the regulations were risky for stablecoins. Speaking to Cointelegraph at the Token2049 conference in Dubai, Ardoino reiterated that Tether had no plans to apply for its US dollar-pegged stablecoin USDt — the largest by market capitalization — to be compliant under MiCA in European countries, potentially forcing exchanges to delist the stablecoin. He added that though crypto firms had to follow regulations, there was a “fear of compliance” among companies in the EU. “[...] MiCA license is very dangerous when it comes to stablecoins, and I believe that is even more dangerous for the small, medium banking system in Europe,” said the Tether CEO, adding that banks in the region c...