Key Takeaways: ESMA added 37 crypto firms to its MiCA register on July 3, the first update since the transitional period ended. Standard Chartered secured MiCA and EMI licenses from Luxembourg regulators on June 25, becoming the first G-SIB on the register. Total registered CASPs now stand at 280, up from 243 in the prior update.
ESMA added 37 crypto-asset service providers to its MiCA register on July 3, the first update since the transitional period ended, bringing total registered firms to 280.
The European Securities and Markets Authority added 37 crypto-asset service providers to its Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation register on July 3, the first update since the transitional period ended, bringing total registered firms to 280 from 243 in the prior update on June 26.
"Securing our MiCA and EMI licences is a key step in progressing our digital asset journey in Europe," Margaret Harwood-Jones, global head of financing at Standard Chartered, said.
Standard Chartered secured MiCA authorization from Luxembourg's Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier on June 25, alongside an Electronic Money Institution license. The approvals arrived 18 months after the UK lender established a Luxembourg-based digital asset custody unit led by Laurent Marochini, formerly of Societe Generale and Credit Suisse. The bank also became the first Global Systemically Important Bank to offer institutional clients integrated USDC minting and redemption through a partnership with Circle on July 2, launching through its Dubai International Financial Centre operations.
The addition of a G-SIB like Standard Chartered to the MiCA register signals deepening institutional engagement with Europe's crypto regulatory framework, which now covers 280 CASPs across the bloc. ESMA will continue updating its register as national authorities process pending applications under the regulation's full implementation phase.
Cyprus Leads New Authorizations as Germany Holds Top Spot
Cyprus accounted for six of the newly listed CASPs, the highest share among EU jurisdictions in this update, bringing its total MiCA authorizations to 21. France, Italy and Malta each added five new entries, while the Czech Republic and Spain recorded four apiece. Luxembourg added three, the Netherlands two, and Germany, Liechtenstein and Latvia one each.
Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority remains the EU authority with the most MiCA authorizations at 58, followed by Cyprus at 21. Among the other new CASPs added were digital asset prime brokerage FalconX, Sygnum Europe and Ronin EM, while Credit Agricole's CACEIS was added to the register of electronic money token issuers.
The register of asset-referenced tokens showed no approved issuers, unchanged from prior updates. The list of non-compliant entities remained at 162.
Standard Chartered's Dual License Advances European Digital Asset Strategy
Standard Chartered's MiCA and EMI licenses from Luxembourg allow the bank to issue electronic money and provide payment services alongside its crypto custody operations. The bank's digital asset offerings for institutional clients include trading, custody and collateral mirroring services, as well as cross-border treasury movement using tokenized deposits.
The approvals build on recent milestones including the launch of digital asset custody services in Asia and the Middle East. Standard Chartered intends to expand its digital asset services across Europe in phases, responding to growing client demand for regulated access to digital assets in the region.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
