Mica | Crypto

The Austrian authorization gives WhiteBIT access to the EU's unified crypto framework, which will require exchanges to hold MiCA licenses or stop serving clients after July 1. Crypto exchange WhiteBIT has obtained authorization under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) from Austria's Financial Market Authority, allowing the company to offer regulated crypto services across the European Economic Area through a single license. Under MiCA, crypto companies authorized in one European Union member state can passport their services across the European Economic Area without obtaining separate licenses in each jurisdiction. WhiteBIT said the authorization will support the launch of a dedicated European platform, whitebit.eu. WhiteBIT said W Group, its parent company, serves more than 35 million customers globally. Founded in 2018, the exchange has partnerships with Visa, FACEIT, FC Barcelona, Juventus and Ukraine's national football team. Read more

Lawyers say MiCA rules do not bar the European Central Bank from communicating with national regulators during the application process, though crypto licensing decisions remain with member states. Binance’s faltering European Union Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) license application in Greece has raised questions about whether the bloc's central bank may have played an informal role in the process, despite not having formal authority over licensing decisions. Even though MiCA assigns approval of crypto-asset service provider (CASP) licenses to national competent authorities (NCAs), lawyers told Cointelegraph that its wording does not prevent other EU institutions, including the European Central Bank (ECB), from communicating with those regulators during the review process. “Nothing in the MiCA framework would prevent a third party like the ECB from offering its opinion to that national authority on Binance's application,” David Lesperance, founder at Lesperance & Associates, told Cointelegraph. Rea...

BitGo launches a MiCA-compliant crypto infrastructure platform in Europe as exchanges face pressure to meet July 1 licensing rules across the EU. BitGo, a crypto custody company, is moving into Europe’s tighter regulatory landscape as exchanges race to maintain access ahead of a key licensing deadline. BitGo Europe launched a crypto-as-a-service platform aimed at meeting the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), the company said in a statement shared with Cointelegraph on Wednesday. BitGo CEO Mike Belshe said companies shouldn’t leave users waiting during licensing delays, arguing that regulated infrastructure can keep platforms active in the meantime. Read more

Crypto news today starts with the feels-incomplete US-Iran deal, yet FTX claims payout progress, and ETH USD potential plot twist. The post Crypto News, June 17: Kevin Warsh First FOMC, Binance vs. MiCA as CZ Takes on Hyperliquid, and BTC USD Grinds Sideways appeared first on Cryptonews.

On July 1, 2026, the temporary permission that lets crypto companies keep operating in Europe while they wait for a proper MiCA license runs out, and it creates a huge problem that lands straight on ordinary users. Europe's crypto law, known as MiCA, requires any exchange, broker, or wallet service that wants EU customers to […] The post Millions of EU crypto users face exchange cutoff as MiCA deadline hits in days appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a bill to implement MiCA for the third time, just weeks before the end of the EU crypto framework's transitional period. Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a cryptocurrency regulatory bill for the third time, which sought to implement Europe's Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) in the country. Nawrocki said Thursday he supports regulating the cryptocurrency market but argued that the government incorporated only one of 16 key amendments proposed by his office. He said that the text was nearly identical to the previous two drafts he refused. The third veto of the bill delays Poland's alignment with the EU-wide regulatory framework just weeks before the end of MiCA's transitional period on July 1. Following the end of the grace period, crypto asset service providers will be required to hold a MiCA license or stop servicing EU clients. Read more

One of MiCA's architects said he sees no need to regulate DeFi as the European Commission gathers feedback on the framework's future. The European Union should focus on a broader digital asset framework covering real-world assets and tokenization instead of regulating decentralized finance through a second version of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), an adviser at the European Commission said. The European Commission launched a public consultation on MiCA in May, seeking feedback through Aug. 31. "I do not believe that [MiCA] is outdated now. That’s my personal opinion, but it does not matter. That’s why we have this consultation,” Peter Kerstens told Cointelegraph during a fireside chat at WAIB Summit Monaco 2026. Read more

The ESMA says crypto companies without MiCA authorization must stop serving EU clients from July 1, even if their licence applications remain under review. The European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation hits a hard deadline on July 1 when the transitional period ends and in-scope crypto asset service providers operating under national regimes must either hold a MiCA licence or stop serving EU clients. A spokesperson from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) told Cointelegraph that from that date, non-authorized entities “will not be allowed to operate within the EU” and should implement wind-down and client migration plans rather than rely on open-ended transitional status while awaiting a decision. The deadline could force some crypto firms to suspend EU operations while their applications remain under review, potentially affecting millions of users who continue to engage with platforms that are not yet authorized under MiCA. Read more

The European Union's Markets in Crypto Assets regulations first took effect in 2024, but gave crypto service providers time to fully comply with the framework. The French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) warned that crypto companies operating in the country without a license have until June 30 to acquire the permits or exit the country. AMF President Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani told a press event on Thursday that crypto companies that fail to obtain a license by the deadline must have "orderly wind-down ⁠plans" to offload customers and end their operations, according to Reuters. Under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework, crypto service providers are required to have licenses to operate, but can acquire a license in any of the 27 EU member states and “passport” the license to any of the other member nations. Read more

The bank plans to launch digital asset custody, transfer and receipt services in 2026 for selected customer categories. Italian bank Banca Sella announced that it has completed its notification process with the Bank of Italy under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, allowing it to offer crypto-asset services. On Wednesday, the bank said it is the first bank in Italy authorized to offer crypto-asset services, adding that the approval will allow it to launch a solution focused on the custody, transfer and receipt of digital assets in 2026, aimed at “selected categories” of customers. Banca Sella is the commercial bank of Sella Group. According to Sella Group, it has almost 300 branches and more than 2,400 employees. Read more

EU opens MiCA review as consultation probes stablecoin interest rules, DeFi risks and classification gaps ahead of July's crypto authorization deadline. The European Commission has opened a review of its landmark crypto regulation, signaling that the European Union is considering updates to its landmark digital asset framework just two years after it took effect. The commission on Wednesday launched a public consultation seeking feedback from the crypto industry and the wider public on whether the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) should be updated. The consultation will remain open until Aug. 31. The commission said crypto markets and the global regulatory environment have “continued to evolve” since MiCA took effect in 2024, prompting officials to assess whether the current framework remains “fit for purpose.” Read more

Paybis has secured both a MiCA crypto licence and a PSD2 payment institution licence from Latvia’s central bank, becoming the first company in the country to hold both simultaneously. Cryptocurrency platform Paybis has received two licences from Latvia’s central bank, including one for crypto-asset services under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and another for payment institution operations under Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2). The licences were issued by the Supervision Committee of Latvijas Banka on May 12 to SIA Paybis Europe, the company’s EU entity, according to an announcement from the central bank. Paybis is the third company in Latvia to receive a MiCA CASP licence, the central bank said. The MiCA licence covers custody and administration of crypto assets on behalf of clients, exchange of crypto-assets for funds or other crypto assets, execution of orders, transfer services and crypto asset advisory, Latvijas Banka said. The central bank added that the PSD2 payment...

KuCoin EU hires a new AML chief and deputies in Vienna weeks after Austria’s regulator banned the MiCA‑licensed exchange from taking on new business over compliance gaps. Update (April 29, 17:15 UTC): This article has been updated to include comments from KuCoin EU's AML officer Carmen Kleinhans and managing director Sabina Liu. KuCoin EU has appointed a new Anti-Money Laundering (AML) chief and expanded its compliance team in Vienna, weeks after Austrian regulators barred the exchange from taking on new business under Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) regime. The MiCA-licensed entity named Carmen Kleinhans as its Anti-Money Laundering Officer, alongside two deputy AML officers drawn from former Austrian regulators and bank compliance chiefs. According to a Wednesday release, the team will oversee AML, Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF) and sanctions controls, as well as enterprise-wide risk management and regulatory engagement. Kleinhans told Cointelegraph that the focus is on embedding cont...

A new Blockchain for Europe report says MiCA has made euro stablecoins safer but less competitive, and urges targeted reforms to reserves and remuneration. A new report released Monday from industry group Blockchain for Europe argues that the European Union’s flagship crypto laws, the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework, have produced euro-denominated stablecoins that are ultra-safe but commercially weak, leaving the bloc far behind US dollar-pegged tokens in digital payments and trading. The report cites DeFiLlama data that euro stablecoins account for less than 1% of global stablecoin volume despite the euro’s much larger role in global markets, and argues that MiCA has pushed them onto the “downward-sloping” part of a regulatory "Laffer" curve, where stricter rules reduce the activity they are meant to govern. Drafted by European Central Bank official Ulrich Bindseil and Blockchain for Europe’s Erwin Voloder, the report focuses on MiCA’s rules for euro electronic money tokens, or EMTs, whi...

Smaller crypto companies across Europe face mounting compliance costs as MiCA moves from framework to enforcement, raising fears of market consolidation. The European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) transition period is entering its final stretch, forcing smaller crypto firms across the EU to either secure authorization quickly or prepare to shut down regulated services. The transitional period ends across the bloc on July 1, after which any crypto asset service provider operating without a MiCA license must stop serving EU clients. Early movers like United Kingdom-based exchange CoinJar, which said it secured MiCA authorization in Ireland in 2025, call the regime a necessary maturation that rewards compliance-first players, but founders in markets like Poland warn thousands of virtual asset service providers (VASPs) could fall off a regulatory cliff as deadlines hit. Companies face a hard stop of July 1 for the longest 18-month grandfathering window, with some national regimes already clos...

EU officials plan to reassess MiCA as companies test its limits, with industry feedback set to shape potential changes to the bloc’s crypto framework. A European Commission adviser said the European Union’s landmark MiCA crypto regime is likely to evolve as digital asset markets develop beyond the conditions the law was originally designed to address. Speaking at the Paris Blockchain Week (PBW) 2026, Peter Kerstens, an adviser on technological innovation, digital transformation and cybersecurity at the European Commission’s financial services department, said the Commission will review the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and launch a public consultation to assess whether the rules are working for market participants and supporting business development. The remarks suggest EU policymakers are already thinking about how MiCA may need to evolve as the crypto market matures. Kerstens said he could not predict the future, but added that EU financial legislation typically evolves in stages, suggesting it...

A Bank of France official called for tighter MiCA rules on non-euro stablecoins as lawmakers advance reporting requirements for self-custodial crypto wallets above 5,000 euros. French officials are pushing for tighter oversight of crypto from two directions, as a Bank of France official called for stricter limits on non-euro stablecoins under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), and lawmakers in Paris advanced a separate reporting requirement for some self-custody holdings. Denis Beau, First Deputy Governor of the Bank of France, delivered a speech at the EUROFI High Level Seminar in March, calling on the EU to restrict the use of stablecoins for payments, particularly those pegged to non-euro currencies. Published on the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) website on Thursday, he said the Bank of France has been “pressing for a strengthening” of MiCA in this regard. Read more

MEXC appointed Vugar Usi as CEO and outlined plans to expand zero-fee trading and pursue MiCA licensing amid growing industry competition. MEXC appointed Vugar Usi as CEO on Wednesday, elevating the executive as the exchange steps up its push for global licensing, including under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework. MEXC said Usi joined the company as chief operating officer in late 2025 after previously serving in the same position at rival exchange Bitget. In his new role, Usi said MEXC plans to preserve its low-fee trading focus while expanding broader multi-asset access on the platform. Read more

An ECB working paper found DeFi governance remains highly concentrated, complicating efforts to identify who should fall under MiCA oversight. The European Central Bank published a working paper on March 26, finding that governance in four major DeFi protocols was heavily concentrated. The staff paper looks at Aave, MakerDAO, Ampleforth and Uniswap, and finds that while governance tokens are held across tens of thousands of addresses, the top 100 holders control more than 80% of the supply in each protocol. Based on holdings snapshots from November 2022 and May 2023, the authors found that a large share of governance tokens could be linked either to the protocols themselves or to centralized and decentralized exchanges, with Binance the largest identified centralized exchange holder across the four protocols. Read more

The UK has a unique opportunity to merge the best of the EU’s MiCA framework and the US GENIUS Act, Circle’s Dante Disparte told the House of Lords committee on Wednesday. Circle’s policy chief Dante Disparte told a United Kingdom House of Lords committee that the UK has a chance to build its crypto regime by combining the clarity of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) with elements of the new US stablecoin framework. “The model is clear: take the best of both and make it distinctly British,” Disparte said during a Wednesday meeting of the House of Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee. “From Europe, take clarity, definitions, licensing, governance and strong consumer protection from the US and the landmark Genius Act.” Disparte argued that the absence of a regulatory framework will keep stablecoin activity offshore, leaving UK users more exposed and jeopardizing London’s status as a global hub for financial innovation. The meeting was part of the House of Lords’ inquiry in...