EU MiCA Regulation Enters Full Effect, Register Swells to 281 Licensed Crypto Firms

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published its first post‑deadline update to the EU register of crypto‑asset service providers (CASPs) authorised under the Markets in Crypto‑Assets Regulation (MiCA). After the hard cutoff on 1 July 2026, 37 additional firms were added, raising the total number of MiCA‑licensed entities to 281. New entrants include Standard Chartered, FalconX, Sygnum Europe, Ronin EM and CACEIS, the digital‑asset arm of Crédit Agricole.

Country‑by‑country, Cyprus granted the most new licences (six), while France, Italy and Malta each added five, and the Czech Republic and Spain four each. Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Liechtenstein and Latvia also issued new authorisations. The update shows that the EU’s unified licensing regime is now operational, allowing firms with a single national licence to “passport” services across all 27 member states.

Full enforcement of MiCA means any crypto service provider operating in the bloc without a licence is in breach of EU law and must cease onboarding EU customers. The rule‑book also imposes strict capital and reserve requirements on stable‑coin issuers, prompting a shift of liquidity toward MiCA‑compliant tokens such as USDC and EURC. While the framework is hailed for bringing regulatory certainty, implementation challenges have emerged; for example, Binance withdrew its licence request in Greece, citing divergent national interpretations of MiCA provisions. Analysts warn that continued fragmentation could undermine the EU’s ambition to create a single, level‑playing field for digital‑asset markets.