83% of EU Crypto Exchanges Unlicensed as MiCA CASP Deadline Passes

The European Union's MiCA transitional period for crypto-asset service providers expired on July 1, 2026, requiring all firms serving EU clients to hold full CASP authorization or face a breach of EU law. Of more than 1,200 crypto entities that previously held national VASP registrations, only around 210 — roughly 17% — had obtained MiCA licenses by the cutoff date. As of July 31, 2026, ESMA's public register listed 321 authorised CASPs and 167 entities on its non-compliant register, with Germany, the Netherlands, and France leading in authorizations. Some member states, including Latvia, the Netherlands, and Poland, had set shorter national transitional windows that closed as early as mid-2025, meaning certain firms may have already been in breach for months before the EU-wide deadline. ESMA has stated there is no intermediate legal status after July 1 — a firm is either authorized or in violation of EU law.