European regulators have issued licenses to 53 companies working with cryptocurrencies
Date: 2025-07-09 Author: Gabriel Deangelo Categories: IN WORLD
As of today, licenses have been issued to fourteen stablecoin issuers, including Circle, which issues the popular USDC. Permits have also been issued to Crypto.com, Société Générale – Forge, Stablemint, Quantoz, Membrane Finance and StablR. In addition to token issuers, licenses have been issued to 39 virtual asset service providers (CASPs), including major platforms Coinbase, Kraken, Bitstamp, OKX, Robinhood, Trade Republic, BBVA bank and eToro.
The largest number of permits were issued by Germany and the Netherlands, which approved the activities of 23 out of 39 virtual service providers. At the same time, the largest market players, such as the Binance exchange and the Tether company, which issues USDT, have not yet received approval from European Union regulators. After the introduction of the new MiCA rules at the beginning of the year, crypto exchanges Kraken and Crypto.com stopped supporting the USDT token.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said in May 2025 that the company does not plan to register with European regulators, which creates certain risks for its work in the EU market.
Experts from Brussels, including a group of crypto lawyers, note that the new MiCA rules contribute to increased transparency for investors and ensure consumer protection. However, on the other hand, strict requirements can slow down the development of innovation in the European cryptosphere. The law reduces barriers for large companies that comply with the law, but increases costs for small market participants, which can lead to the concentration of power and resources.
The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) has expressed doubts that MiCA will help to eradicate pump and dump schemes - cryptocurrency manipulation and disinformation that are widespread on social media and that negatively affect the market.
So despite the progress in regulation and the growth in the number of licensed participants, the European crypto industry faces challenges related to the balance between control, innovation and competition in the market.
