MiCA's grace period is over: what it means for your crypto
On 1 July 2026 the last transition period under MiCA, the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, came to an end. Until then, platforms that were already operating could keep serving customers while their licence applications were being processed. That grace period is now over.
What changed on 1 July
Every company that offers crypto services to people in the EU and EEA, such as exchanges, brokers and custodial wallets, now needs to be authorised as a crypto-asset service provider (CASP). A platform without that authorisation is no longer allowed to serve EU customers. The rules are the same in all EEA countries, and no further extension was granted.
What MiCA gives you
Safekeeping rules: licensed platforms must keep customer assets separate from their own.
Clear information: fees, risks and how the service works must be explained properly.
Supervision: a national authority, in Sweden Finansinspektionen, can act if something goes wrong.
MiCA does not make crypto safe. Prices can still fall sharply, and you can still lose assets through mistakes, scams or hacks.
Check your platform in five minutes
Open ESMA's MiCA register. ESMA is the EU's securities authority, and it publishes the list of authorised providers.
Search for the company name of the platform you use. Note that the legal entity often has a different name than the app, for example "Payward" for Kraken.
If the platform is not listed, find out what it plans to do for EU customers, and consider moving your assets to a licensed provider or to a wallet where you hold the keys yourself.
How we handle it
On our Exchanges page we favour MiCA-licensed platforms and always show the licence status. When we mention a platform without an EU licence, we say so clearly.
This article is general information, not financial advice.
Sources: ESMA – MiCA, Finansinspektionen – Mica-förordningen, MoonPay
