One year of MiCA licensing: CASP register grows from 44 to 294

ESMA registry data shows a 568% expansion of authorised Crypto-Asset Service Providers between July 2025 and July 2026 — with two dramatic deadline-driven spikes that reshaped the European crypto market.

Published: July 2026 · Data as of 16 July 2026 · Reading time: ~7 minutes

Key Takeaways

• The ESMA register of authorised Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs) grew from 44 entities in July 2025 to 294 entities in July 2026 — a 568% increase in twelve months.
• December 2025 (44 authorisations) and June 2026 (70 authorisations) were the two busiest months ever recorded, both driven by the expiry of national transitional ("grandfathering") periods under Article 143(3) of MiCA.
• June 2026 alone added almost as many CASPs as existed in the entire register one year earlier.
• The final transitional deadline of 1 July 2026 has now passed: firms without a MiCA authorisation may no longer rely on national grandfathering regimes anywhere in the EU.
• A small number of authorisations have already ended, confirming that the register is becoming a living supervisory document, not just a one-way list.

The Twelve Months That Built Europe's Regulated Crypto Market

When the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114, "MiCA") became fully applicable to crypto-asset service providers on 30 December 2024, the first months of licensing were slow and cautious. By mid-July 2025, only 44 CASPs had been authorised across the entire European Economic Area.

Twelve months later, the picture is transformed. As of 16 July 2026, ESMA's interim MiCA register lists 294 unique authorised CASPs — meaning that roughly 85% of all licensed European crypto providers received their authorisation in the last year alone.

The register snapshots tell the story of steady acceleration:

Two Spikes, One Explanation: Transitional Deadlines

Monthly authorisation data reveals that CASP licensing did not grow linearly. Two months stand far above the rest.

December 2025: 44 authorisations in a single month. Germany dominated this wave with 16 new CASPs, followed by Ireland (6) and Slovakia (4). The driver was the end of the transitional period in several large Member States — Germany's grandfathering regime for firms operating under national law expired at the end of 2025, forcing a year-end scramble for MiCA licences.

June 2026: 70 authorisations — the largest wave in MiCA history. Under Article 143(3) of MiCA, firms that provided crypto-asset services under national law before 30 December 2024 could continue operating until 1 July 2026 at the latest. June 2026 was therefore the final month in which a national-regime firm could receive its MiCA licence without interrupting its business. France (12), Cyprus (9), Italy (7) and Malta (7) led the June surge, which also included recognisable names such as Bitcoin Suisse (Europe), Standard Chartered Luxembourg, Conio, Paymium and Zap (Strike) Europe.

The June 2026 wave is particularly striking in historical context: a single month produced 1.6 times more authorisations than the entire first seven months of MiCA licensing combined.

Beyond the Headline Number: Withdrawals Have Begun

The register is no longer only additive. The July 2026 snapshot records the first ended authorisations, including entries for Stratos Europe Ltd (Cyprus, ended April 2026) and Decubate B.V. (Netherlands, ended March 2026). While the numbers remain small, they mark an important maturation step: MiCA authorisation can be relinquished or withdrawn, and the register now reflects market exits as well as entries.

Bank participation is also becoming visible. The June 2026 wave included traditional credit institutions such as German cooperative banks (Volksbank Heiden, Raiffeisenbank Auerbach-Freihung), Croatia's Hrvatska poštanska banka and Standard Chartered's Luxembourg entity — evidence that MiCA is pulling regulated banking groups into crypto-asset services, not just crypto-native firms.

What Happens Now That Grandfathering Is Over?

With the 1 July 2026 deadline behind us, the EU crypto market has entered its first fully harmonised phase:

1. No more national regimes. Any firm providing crypto-asset services to EU clients now needs a MiCA authorisation (or faces enforcement — the non-compliant entities register has grown in parallel to 159 entries). 2. Authorisation pace should normalise. With deadline pressure gone, monthly volumes are likely to return to the 10–20 range seen in early 2026, driven by new entrants rather than conversions. 3. Supervisory attention shifts from licensing to conduct. National competent authorities and ESMA can now redirect resources from application processing toward ongoing supervision, product intervention and enforcement.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many CASPs are licensed under MiCA as of July 2026? ESMA's interim register lists 294 unique authorised crypto-asset service providers as of 16 July 2026.

Why did so many CASPs get licensed in June 2026? Article 143(3) of MiCA allowed firms already operating under national law to continue until 1 July 2026 at the latest. June 2026 was the last month to obtain a licence before that transitional period expired, producing a record 70 authorisations.

Can a company still offer crypto services in the EU without a MiCA licence? No. Since 1 July 2026, the transitional regimes have expired in all Member States. Providing crypto-asset services in the EU without CASP authorisation is a breach of MiCA.

Where can I verify whether a provider is authorised? ESMA publishes the official register of authorised CASPs and non-compliant entities on its MiCA page, updated weekly.

Sources

• Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA) — EUR-Lex
• ESMA — Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), interim register
• European Commission — Crypto-assets framework

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Analysis based on ESMA's interim MiCA register (CASP file), snapshots from 11 July 2025 through 16 July 2026. Entity counts are unique legal entities; entities appearing with multiple register entries are counted once, using the earliest authorisation date.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information and analytical purposes only. It does not constitute legal, regulatory, investment, tax or any other form of professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. While we strive for accuracy, the underlying registers are updated frequently and figures may have changed since the stated data date. Always verify current information directly with official sources (ESMA, the European Commission, and national competent authorities) before making any decision. MICA Watch accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of this content.