MiCA Licensing Slows as ESMA Adds 14 New CASPs to Its Register | Crypto ETF News
Crypto ETF news: MiCA Licensing Slows as ESMA Adds 14 New CASPs to Its Register. This update explains what changed, why it matters for institutional adoption, market flows, and investor sentiment, and what the crypto market should watch next.
Institutional And ETF Update
European authorities added 14 crypto companies to the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework register in the second post-deadline update, signaling a slower licensing pace after an initial surge.The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) updated its interim MiCA register on Thursday, bringing the total number of licensed crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) to 294.The new entries include Ripple Payments Europe, the European payments arm of blockchain company Ripple, as well as Portugal-based Bison Bank and Croatia’s state-owned bank, Hrvatska poštanska banka (HPB).The update follows ESMA’s previous register expansion on July 3, when the regulator added 37 CASPs in the first major post-deadline update after MiCA’s transitional period ended.Banks deepen MiCA presenceSeveral newly added companies highlight the continued entry of traditional financial institutions into Europe’s regulated crypto market.In addition to Bison Bank and HPB, the MiCA register added two cooperative banks from Germany, namely Volksbank Schwarzwald-Donau-Neckar and Raiffeisenbank Auerbach-Freihung.The update also included Liechtenstein-based Kaiser Partner Privatbank, expanding the presence of private banking groups offering regulated crypto services under MiCA.Fourteen new CASPs in the MiCA register update on Thursday. Source: ESMAThe register counts dozens of traditional finance institutions, including Spain’s BBVA and CaixaBank, Germany’s Commerzbank, France’s CACEIS Bank and Standard Chartered Luxembourg.EMT and ART registers remain unchangedESMA reported no changes to its registers for electronic money tokens (EMTs), a category of crypto-assets designed to maintain a stable value against a single official currency, or asset-referenced tokens (ARTs), which are linked to multiple assets such as currencies or commodities.As of the latest update, the EMT register counted 21 unique issuers, while the ART register continued to list no approved issuers.Related: MiCA licensing only the beginning as crypto custodians face scrutinyThe regulator also added two entities to its non-compliant register following actions by Italy’s securities regulator, the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB).The new additions were Reversal Investment Group and Kortex, bringing the total number of entries on the non-compliant list to 164, including crypto exchange MEXC.Magazine: Will the crypto lobby’s $189M campaign get CLARITY over the line?
Why This ETF News Matters
First, this development may affect institutional demand, exchange flows, market liquidity, and broader investor confidence. In addition, it may influence custody trends, fund positioning, and future crypto product approvals. As a result, traders and investors should watch the next moves closely.
What To Watch Next
Watch for filing updates, approval decisions, inflow and outflow data, custody changes, and asset manager commentary. In particular, any new developments involving BlackRock, Grayscale, Fidelity, or major spot ETF products could directly affect the broader crypto market.
