The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has updated the register of Licensed cryptocurrency Asset Service Providers (CASP) to include 15 new organizations. This expansion of the list has become the third since the end of the transitional period of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. As a result, the total number of companies that have received official permission to operate in accordance with the new standards of the European Union has reached 309. Among the new licensees are both specialized cryptocurrency services such as BitPay, Coinify and Bleap, as well as representatives of the traditional financial sector.

A notable aspect of the current upgrade was the acquisition of CASP status by several large credit institutions, including the Belgian subsidiary of the American bank holding company BNY Mellon and three banks from Germany. This indicates the growing interest of traditional financial institutions in integrating digital assets into their product lines. The MiCA Regulation, which is the first comprehensive regulatory framework in this area, grants licensed companies the right to provide services throughout the European Union without having to undergo separate licensing in each national jurisdiction, which significantly optimizes operational processes.

The acceleration of the application review process by national supervisory authorities after the end of the transition period confirms the desire of European regulators to systematically transfer the cryptocurrency market to uniform standards of operation. The simultaneous presence in the registry of both established banking structures and specialized cryptoplatforms indicates the formation of a balanced and regulated ecosystem. Such harmonization of legislation not only increases the level of investor protection, but also creates predictable conditions for the long-term development of the digital asset industry in the region.

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The material has been prepared solely for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice or recommendation.