French regulator ACPR is auditing Binance and other exchanges as Paris seeks a greater role in enforcing MiCA rules across Europe. Update (Oct. 17, 2025, at 11:00 am UTC): This article has been updated to add commentary by a Binance spokesperson. France’s banking regulator is reportedly conducting additional Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks on Binance and other cryptocurrency exchanges, as Paris lobbies for more authority over Europe’s crypto industry under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). According to a Friday Bloomberg report, the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR) is checking the Anti-Money Laundering compliance of Binance and “dozens of exchanges.” The report cited anonymous sources who noted that the checks started last year and are confidential. Read more
Targeting the first tokenized IPO launch in the first quarter of 2026, France’s Lightning Stock Exchange aims to become a fully tokenized equity exchange in Europe. Lightning Stock Exchange (Lise), a new stock exchange headquartered in France, is entering the market with bold ambitions to launch a fully tokenized equity exchange dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). France’s Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR) has issued Lise a DLT trading and settlement (TSS) license, paving the way for its tokenized equity exchange in Europe, the company announced on Thursday. “This approval authorizes us to operate the first tokenized stock exchange dedicated to equities in Europe,” Lise managing director Mark Kepeneghian said in a statement on LinkedIn. Read more
The Bank of France’s governor called for crypto oversight to be given to the European Securities and Markets Authority, and for tightening MiCA’s rules on stablecoin issuance. The Bank of France called on the EU to give its markets regulator direct supervision over major crypto firms, warning that fragmented oversight could threaten the bloc’s financial sovereignty. Speaking at the ACPR-AMF Fintech Forum in Paris on Thursday, Bank of France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau said the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) should be given the mandate to directly oversee crypto-asset issuers under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. “I also advocate, along with the president of the AMF, for European supervision of crypto-asset issuers, carried out by ESMA,” he said, adding that it may guarantee the consistent application of rules and reduce risks. Read more
• PA President Abbas calls on all states to follow suit • Dar attends, but doesn’t address high-level moot • PM due to meet Trump alongside Muslim leaders • Palestine flag unfurled at London mission NEW YORK: France and Monaco extended formal recognition to the State of Palestine at a high-level conference on Monday. “We must do everything within our power to preserve the very possibility of a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security,” French President Emmanuel Macron said before announcing the diplomatic move, drawing lengthy applause from the audience. Macron outlined a framework for a “renewed Palestinian Authority” under which France would open an embassy subject to factors such as reforms, a ceasefire and the release of all remaining prisoners held in Gaza. Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg and San Marino were also expected to recognise a Palestinian state ahead of this week’s UN General Assembly, after Australia, Britain, Canada, Portugal and Malta did so over the we...
Bitcoin’s price pumped on news that the US Federal Reserve would cut rates by one quarter of a point. Crypto markets are up after the US Federal Reserve cut rates. But in other parts of the world, the picture isn’t so rosy. Thai bank customers are experiencing massive bank lockouts, and France says it could block companies operating on crypto licenses obtained in other parts of the European Union. Meanwhile, in Australia, securities regulators have made things easier for stablecoin distributors by scrapping a license requirement. Read more
While some legal experts see France’s threat as legally feasible, others argue that it’s only a warning for crypto firms looking for licensing loopholes in the EU. France’s warning that it may try to block cryptocurrency companies from operating in the country under licenses issued by other European Union member states — known as passporting — has raised questions about enforcement of the 27-nation bloc’s flagship crypto law. France’s securities regulator, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), is considering a ban on crypto firms operating in France under licenses obtained in other member states, Reuters reported Monday. The move reportedly stems from the AMF’s concern that some crypto companies seek licenses in more lenient EU jurisdictions. The warning came less than a year after the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) took effect for crypto-asset service providers. MiCA was designed to create a harmonized framework across Europe and prevent the kind of regulatory arbitrage the AMF is flagg...
France’s securities regulator is considering attempting to ban European license “passporting” over concerns related to MiCA regulation enforcement gaps in other EU countries. France warned it may try to block cryptocurrency companies operating locally under licenses obtained in other European countries, raising enforcement gap concerns regarding the European Union’s crypto regulatory framework. France’s securities regulator, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), told Reuters Monday that it is concerned about potential regulatory enforcement gaps related to Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), the world’s first comprehensive crypto regulatory framework. Concerned that some crypto companies may seek licenses in more lenient EU jurisdictions, the AMF is considering a ban on operating in France under MiCA licenses obtained in other member states. Read more