MiCA: which crypto exchanges are licensed in the EU?
Since 1 July 2026 crypto exchanges serving clients in the European Union must hold a MiCA licence. We explain what it means for you and show the status of the 10 exchanges we compare.
What MiCA is
MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets, EU Regulation 2023/1114) is the first EU-wide rulebook for the crypto-asset market. Stablecoin rules have applied since 30 June 2024, and rules for service providers (CASPs), including exchanges, since 30 December 2024. Firms already operating could use a transitional period that ended on 1 July 2026 at the latest.
What a CASP licence gives you
- An EU-wide passport. A licence issued in one country (e.g. Ireland or Malta) lets the exchange serve clients in every member state.
- Requirements on the exchange: capital, segregation of client assets from company assets, custody rules, complaints handling and conflict-of-interest management.
- Supervision by a national regulator and an entry in the register kept by ESMA.
A MiCA licence is not a bank-style guarantee. There is no deposit insurance, and crypto prices can still fall sharply.
Status of 10 exchanges
The data comes from our exchange profiles, based on ESMA’s CASP register. Details and sources are on each exchange page.
| Exchange | EU status | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| Binance | No new trades for EU clients | Binance has no MiCA licence (not in the ESMA register). Since 1 July 2026 EU clients cannot place new spot orders, deposit funds or open accounts; only withdrawals work. |
| Kraken | Available in the EU | MiCA licence (Ireland) passported to Poland. |
| Coinbase | Available in the EU | MiCA licence (Luxembourg) passported to Poland. |
| Bitstamp | Available in the EU | MiCA licence (Luxembourg) passported to Poland. |
| Kanga Global | Limited availability in the EU | Kanga Global serves clients outside the EU. EU users are redirected to the sister platform Kanga Exchange EU (MiCA licence from Latvia), where spot trading is still announced. |
| Bybit EU | Available in the EU | MiCA licence (Austria) passported to Poland. |
| OKX | Available in the EU | MiCA licence (Malta) passported to Poland. |
| Revolut X | Available in the EU | MiCA licence (Cyprus) passported to Poland. |
| Bitvavo | Available in the EU | MiCA licence (Netherlands) passported to Poland. |
| Crypto.com | Available in the EU | MiCA licence (Malta) passported to Poland. |
What it means in practice
- Binance has no MiCA licence and since 1 July 2026 has not accepted new spot trades from EU clients; only withdrawals work. Nothing changes for clients outside the EU.
- Kanga Global serves clients outside the EU. The MiCA licence is held by its sister company Kanga Exchange EU (Latvia), where spot trading is still announced.
- USDT is not authorised as an e-money token under MiCA, so licensed exchanges restrict its trading in the EU (e.g. Bitvavo does not list it and Bybit EU has no USDT pairs). USDC is MiCA-compliant.
How to check a licence yourself
- Find the name of the company that serves EU clients on the exchange’s website (usually in the terms or footer).
- Look it up in the CASP register on ESMA’s website.
- Make sure the licence covers your country (passport) and the service you use, e.g. spot trading.
A licence is one thing, costs are another. Among licensed exchanges prices can differ by hundreds of dollars on the same amount, as our comparison of the real cost of buying Bitcoin shows. This article is not legal advice.
Check your amount
The calculator compares 10 exchanges live for your amount and currency, with all costs included.
Open the calculatorThis article is educational and not investment advice. Tables marked “live” are calculated when the page is displayed.