Bitpanda Hit With Europe's First Published MiCA Penalty in Austria

In brief

• Austria's FMA fined Bitpanda 70,000 euros (~$82,000) in what stands as the first publicly disclosed enforcement penalty under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).
• The breaches were procedural and disclosure-related—failing to submit a white paper to the regulator 20 working days before publishing it, running a marketing communication before publishing the underlying white paper, and omitting a required disclaimer and contact details—rather than fraud or investor-loss allegations; the ruling is legally final.
• The case lands as MiCA's transition period for crypto firms winds down across the bloc, with Brussels also expected to revisit the framework in 2027 to tighten oversight of foreign stablecoin issuers.

Austrian regulators have fined crypto exchange Bitpanda 70,000 euros, roughly $82,000, in what stands as the first publicly disclosed enforcement penalty under the European Union's landmark crypto rulebook.

Austria's Financial Market Authority, known as the FMA, said the sanction stems from several breaches of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, or MiCA, the bloc's comprehensive framework for digital assets.

The regulator said the Vienna-based company failed to submit a required crypto-asset white paper to the FMA at least 20 working days before publishing it, as the rules mandate.