MiCA
Markets in Crypto-Assets RegulationCompliance
The EU's regulatory framework for crypto-asset issuers and service providers, in force from December 2024. MiCA introduces licensing requirements for VASPs, stablecoin issuers, and crypto exchanges, and is rapidly becoming a baseline expectation among EU acquirers underwriting crypto merchants.
In practice.
MiCA gives crypto businesses in the EU something they lacked: a recognizable, passportable authorization that acquirers can underwrite against. As CASP authorizations roll out, licensed crypto merchants are an easier placement than they were in the unregulated era, though scheme registration requirements still apply.
Related terms: VASP