Germany leads MiCA licenses as EU tightens crypto rules

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August saw several notable digital asset-related developments in the European Union.

For crypto-asset service providers (CASPs), Germany continued to cement its place as the leading provider of licenses under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, with 10 of its cooperative banks added in the last month.

However, just as the list of locally authorized firms continues to expand, several non-EU CASPs have found themselves added to a transaction ban list aimed at stymieing Russian sanctions evasion. As a result, EU citizens and companies are now banned from doing business with 14 non-EU digital asset firms, including cryptocurrency exchange HTX.

Elsewhere, the European Central Bank (ECB) is still determined to push ahead with its long-in-the-works central bank digital currency (CBDC), with a leading bank executive reiterating support for the proposed “digital euro” while quashing concerns around privacy.

Germany leads in MiCA licenses

On August 21, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the authority responsible for enhancing investor protection, promoting orderly markets, and ensuring financial stability, updated its register of MiCA-authorized CASPs, bringing the total to 331.