MiCA licensing reaches 244 firms across EU and EEA before July 1 deadline
As the EU’s July 1 MiCA cutoff takes effect, licensed exchanges are using bonuses and prizes to target users of unlicensed rivals amid uneven authorization across member states.
Fact Check
The 244-firm figure across EU and EEA is corroborated by multiple sources: 'Germany Leads MiCA Crypto Licensing Race Across Europe' cites ESMA's interim register for 244 authorized CASPs, the CoinDesk article independently confirms 'just 244 MiCA-authorized CASPs' as the July 1 deadline hits, and 'Coinbase and OKX Attempt to Swoop up EU Users' confirms 244 licenses approved as of Monday. The uneven authorization element (Germany dominant with 57, five EU states with zero) and the exchange-bonus targeting of unlicensed rivals' users are also confirmed across these sources.
Summary
Approved crypto firms under MiCA, the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets rulebook, reached 244 across EU and EEA jurisdictions as of June 29, with Germany leading at 57 firms and France at 26, while Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal and Romania had issued none. As the July 1 cutoff requires firms without authorization to stop operating in the EU, several licensed exchanges are offering transfer bonuses and prizes to attract users from MiCA-unlicensed rivals, highlighting how the regime is beginning to reshape competition in the region.
Terms & Concepts
- MiCA: The EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets framework for regulating crypto firms and services.
- licensing: Formal regulatory authorization allowing a firm to operate under the applicable rules.
- EEA: The European Economic Area, which links EU members with certain neighboring countries in a single market.