Europe’s MiCA CASP Register After March and April 2026
MiCA CASP authorisations in Europe continued to move from early implementation into a more visible licensing market during March and April 2026.
ESMA’s Interim MiCA Register remains the central public reference point for authorised crypto-asset service providers. ESMA states that the register is published through CSV files, updated at regular intervals, and currently includes separate files for white papers, ART issuers, EMT issuers, authorised CASPs, and non-compliant entities. The MiCA page visible at the time of this review shows a latest update date of 4 May 2026.
The March and April period is important for three reasons. First, the number of visible CASPs continued to increase. Second, traditional financial institutions became more visible in the MiCA authorisation and notification picture. Third, ESMA issued a separate warning on the end of MiCA transitional periods, making authorisation status a practical business issue before 1 July 2026.
For founders, investors, crypto groups and regulated financial institutions, the latest register movement is no longer only a compliance statistic. It is becoming market-entry intelligence. Each new authorisation helps show where regulator output is visible, where banking-led digital asset models are developing, and where acquisition or new application strategies may still be commercially realistic.
This piece focuses on visible CASP authorisation activity and selected official developments in March and April 2026. Readers who need the broader legal and strategic framework can also refer to our full guide on MiCA in Europe in 2026.
For readers’ convenience, we have placed the key official sources and regulatory materials at the end of this article.
Publish Date
12 May 2026
Reading Time
8 minutes
Category
Legal News
Jurisdiction
EU
ESMA MiCA Register Position After March And April 2026
ESMA explains that Articles 109 and 110 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 on markets in crypto-assets require a central MiCA register covering crypto-asset white papers, authorised crypto-asset service providers and non-compliant entities. ESMA also notes that the interim register will remain available as CSV files until it is formally integrated into ESMA’s IT systems.
For business readers, this matters because the register is the starting point for checking whether a specific legal entity is authorised under MiCA. It should not be replaced by brand-level assumptions, group statements, marketing pages or legacy VASP registrations.
A MiCA SCAN / Binar snapshot based on ESMA registers and national competent authority sources reported the following position as of 12 April 2026:
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Licensed crypto-asset service providers | 199 |
| Countries with registered CASPs | 23 |
| EMT issuers | 20 |
| ART issuers | 0 |
| Other crypto-assets with published white papers | 519 |
| New CASP licences in March 2026 | 10 |
| New CASP licences in April 2026, to 12 April | 2 |
March 2026 Showed Continued CASP Growth
The March data suggests that MiCA authorisation activity continued after the February acceleration.
According to the MiCA SCAN / Binar snapshot, 10 new CASP licences were added in March 2026. This was lower than the reported February number in that dataset, but still showed continued licensing output across the EU and EEA.
That matters because early MiCA implementation was not uniform across jurisdictions. Some national competent authorities moved faster than others. Some markets had stronger legacy crypto-asset registration systems, while others had to build new procedures around MiCA authorisation, notifications, governance review, capital requirements and supervisory engagement.
For applicants, March therefore confirmed that the market was no longer waiting for theoretical implementation. Real authorisations were appearing, and applicants could begin comparing regulator practice with more evidence than was available in late 2024 or early 2025.
For buyers, March also changed the acquisition discussion. A legacy VASP registration alone is not enough to create value. The commercial question is whether the target has a credible MiCA transition position, a complete application history, clean governance, usable banking relationships, and no hidden remediation burden.
Spain Became More Visible After CaixaBank’s MiCA Licence
One of the most notable March developments came from Spain.
On 30 March 2026, CaixaBank announced that it had obtained authorisation as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider under MiCA. The bank said the authorisation was granted by Spain’s CNMV and allows it to provide crypto-asset services under the EU’s common regulatory framework.
CaixaBank stated that the licence enables services including custody of crypto-assets, reception and transmission of orders, execution of buy and sell orders, and transfers of crypto-assets. The bank also said it planned to launch crypto-asset services under MiCA in the coming months.
This is commercially significant because Spain’s MiCA position is not only about standalone crypto companies. The entry of a major banking group shows how MiCA can support regulated digital asset services inside larger financial institutions.
For crypto businesses, this creates both opportunity and pressure. The opportunity is a more credible banking and infrastructure environment for compliant digital asset services. The pressure is that MiCA-authorised banking groups may raise expectations around governance, client protection, custody controls, transaction monitoring, and operational resilience.
April 2026 Brought Early Banking-Sector Movement In The Netherlands
April also brought a notable Dutch banking-sector development.
ClearBank Europe announced on 9 April 2026 that it had become the first Dutch credit institution to complete the MiCAR notification process to offer digital asset services in Europe. The announcement stated that this allows ClearBank Europe to offer regulated digital asset services, with a focus on stablecoin access and digital clearing infrastructure.
This distinction is important. Credit institutions may use a MiCA notification route for certain crypto-asset services, rather than following the standard CASP authorisation path used by standalone crypto-asset service providers.
For the market, the Dutch development shows that MiCA is not only a licensing regime for crypto-native businesses. It is also a regulatory entry point for banks, payment infrastructure providers and financial groups that want to build digital asset services inside existing regulated structures.
This could become more important in 2026 as stablecoin use cases, tokenised payments, settlement tools and digital treasury services develop under a more formal EU framework.
Germany Still Leads The Visible CASP Market
Germany remained the largest visible MiCA CASP market in the April snapshot. The MiCA SCAN / Binar report recorded 53 CASPs in Germany, followed by the Netherlands with 25, France with 13, Norway with 13, Malta with 12, Spain with 11, Lithuania with 10, and Austria with 9.
This does not mean that Germany is automatically the best jurisdiction for every applicant. A high number of authorised firms can reflect market size, supervisory maturity, legacy licensing practice, institutional demand and the number of regulated financial firms already operating there.
For applicants, the better question is not “which country has the most licences?” The better question is whether the chosen jurisdiction fits the business model, service scope, governance team, substance requirements, banking strategy, AML/CFT controls and target client base.
For investors, Germany’s position is still useful. It shows where authorised structures are already concentrated and where regulated crypto-asset activity may be more visible to institutional counterparties.
Passporting Is Becoming The Standard Business Logic
MiCA was designed to create a more harmonised EU framework for crypto-asset services. The April snapshot suggests that firms are using it in that way.
MiCA SCAN / Binar reported that 171 out of 199 CASPs, or 86%, had cross-border operating rights in the April snapshot. Only 28 entities were reported as operating exclusively in their domestic market.
This is one of the most important commercial points in the March and April data.
A MiCA licence is not usually being treated as a purely local compliance requirement. For many authorised firms, it is a market-access tool for the wider EU and EEA. That increases the strategic value of choosing the right home Member State, because the original authorisation can become the basis for broader cross-border expansion.
For businesses entering Europe, this makes early planning more important. The chosen home jurisdiction should support the intended service scope, governance model, passporting strategy, outsourcing arrangements and client migration plan.
EMT Activity Is Growing, But ART Remains Empty
The April snapshot recorded 20 EMT issuers and zero ART issuers. It also recorded 519 other crypto-assets with published white papers.
This split is useful for market analysis. EMT activity appears to be developing gradually, especially as banks and payment companies assess stablecoin, tokenised cash and digital settlement models. ART activity, however, remains absent in the snapshot, which may reflect the higher regulatory and operational burden for asset-referenced tokens.
For CASPs, this matters because stablecoin-related services can create overlapping regulatory issues. Depending on the model, a business may need to consider MiCA, payment services regulation, AML/CFT requirements, safeguarding, custody, outsourcing, settlement flows and operational resilience.
The CaixaBank and ClearBank examples show that bank-linked digital asset services are becoming more visible under MiCA. That may gradually change how crypto businesses think about custody, fiat rails, stablecoin access and institutional partnerships.
ESMA’s April Warning Changes The Business Context
The licensing data should be read together with ESMA’s 17 April 2026 statement on the end of MiCA transitional periods.
ESMA stated that the MiCA transitional period will expire across the EU on 1 July 2026. After that date, any entity providing crypto-asset services to EU clients without a MiCA licence will be in breach of EU law and must stop offering such services.
ESMA also expects unauthorised CASPs to have operational, credible and immediately executable wind-down plans where authorisation is not obtained. These plans should cover client offboarding, transfer of crypto-assets to an authorised CASP or self-hosted wallet, prior notice to clients, and compliance with conduct, prudential and AML/CFT obligations.
This turns the March and April register movement into a practical deadline issue.
For firms already authorised, the next challenge is client migration, onboarding and controlled scaling. For firms still waiting for approval, the key issue is whether authorisation can realistically be obtained before the deadline. For firms unlikely to be authorised, the focus should shift to wind-down, restructuring, acquisition, partnership or market exit.
What March And April 2026 Suggest For New CASP Applicants
The March and April data points to a market that is becoming more measurable, but not necessarily easier.
New applicants can now see more evidence of regulator output. They can compare jurisdictions with more data than was available during the early MiCA transition period. They can also observe where banking groups, crypto-native firms and cross-border operators are securing market access.
However, visible authorisations do not mean that applications are simple. MiCA filings still require serious preparation around governance, service scope, prudential resources, safeguarding, AML/CFT, ICT risk, outsourcing, complaints handling, conflicts of interest, market abuse controls and client disclosures.
The quality of the file matters. A weak application may lose months through regulator questions, incomplete documentation, unclear service mapping, insufficient substance or unconvincing key person arrangements.
For applicants, the lesson from March and April is clear: the market is moving, but late or poorly prepared filings now face much less room for error.
What March And April 2026 Suggest For CASP Acquisitions
For acquisition projects, the latest register movement creates both opportunity and risk.
A newly authorised CASP may offer a faster route to market than a fresh application. But it can also carry hidden issues. These may include legacy AML/CFT weaknesses, narrow service permissions, unresolved outsourcing problems, weak governance, unsuitable shareholders, incomplete client migration planning or business plans that do not match the buyer’s intended model.
A legacy VASP can still be useful in some jurisdictions, but only if it has a realistic MiCA path. After the ESMA April warning, buyers should be especially careful with structures that rely on transitional assumptions without confirmed authorisation.
Due diligence should therefore cover more than licence status. It should review the exact authorised legal entity, service permissions, NCA correspondence, passporting position, compliance history, AML/CFT controls, custody architecture, client asset arrangements, banking relationships, and any pending remediation.
This is where a structured acquisition review can be more valuable than speed alone. A cheap or fast CASP transaction can become expensive if the licence cannot support the buyer’s actual business model.
Legasset Comment
The March and April 2026 MiCA register developments show that the European CASP market is entering a more selective phase.
The first phase was about understanding MiCA. The second phase was about submitting applications. The current phase is about visible authorisations, regulator output, client migration, wind-down planning and strategic market entry.
For crypto businesses, the key question is no longer whether MiCA is coming. It is already operating. The question is whether the business has a defensible EU structure before the transitional period fully closes.
For investors and buyers, the key question is no longer whether a crypto company has historic VASP status. The question is whether the entity has a usable MiCA position, real regulatory substance and a structure that can survive post-acquisition scrutiny.
Legasset assists crypto, fintech and digital asset businesses with MiCA licensing strategy, CASP authorisation planning, regulated entity acquisition review, AML/CFT frameworks, market-entry structuring, client migration, wind-down planning and transaction support.
MiCA CASP licences in March and April 2026: key business questions
How many MiCA CASPs were visible in Europe in April 2026?
A MiCA SCAN / Binar snapshot reported 199 licensed CASPs across 23 countries as of 12 April 2026. ESMA’s MiCA page later showed the interim register had been updated on 4 May 2026, so the live CSV should be checked before relying on exact figures for publication, transaction due diligence or onboarding.
How many new CASP licences were added in March 2026?
The April snapshot reported 10 new CASP licences in March 2026. This indicates continued authorisation activity after the February increase, but individual licence checks should still be made against ESMA and national competent authority registers.
How many new CASP licences were added in April 2026?
The same snapshot reported 2 new CASP licences in April 2026 up to 12 April. Because ESMA updates the interim register weekly, later April and early May changes should be checked against the live ESMA CSV.
Why is CaixaBank’s MiCA licence important?
CaixaBank’s March 2026 MiCA authorisation is important because it shows a major Spanish banking group entering regulated crypto-asset services under the EU framework. The bank said the authorisation allows custody, order-related services and crypto-asset transfers.
Why is ClearBank Europe’s MiCAR notification important?
ClearBank Europe’s April 2026 development is important because it shows a Dutch credit institution using the MiCAR notification route to enter digital asset services. This highlights how MiCA can support crypto-asset activity inside regulated banking infrastructure, not only through standalone crypto companies.
What happens after 1 July 2026?
ESMA has stated that the MiCA transitional period will expire across the EU on 1 July 2026. After that date, a firm providing MiCA-regulated crypto-asset services to EU clients without a MiCA licence will be in breach of EU law and must stop offering those services.
Should a business apply for a new MiCA licence or buy an existing CASP?
Both routes can work, but the answer depends on the service model, timing, jurisdiction, target quality, governance, banking readiness and compliance history. An existing CASP may save time, but only if the authorised entity can support the buyer’s actual business model.
Topic-Specific Official Resources and Regulatory Materials
ESMA’s main MiCA page, including the Interim MiCA Register, CSV files, update information, MiCA implementation materials, supervisory convergence materials and register guidance.
II. European Securities and Markets Authority — Statement on the end of transitional periods under MiCA
Official ESMA statement dated 17 April 2026 confirming expectations for CASPs, unauthorised firms, wind-down plans, client migration and the 1 July 2026 end of the transitional period.
III. CaixaBank — MiCA licence announcement
CaixaBank’s official 30 March 2026 announcement confirming its MiCA CASP authorisation from the CNMV and describing the crypto-asset services it plans to offer.
IV. ClearBank Europe — MiCAR notification announcement
ClearBank Europe’s announcement that it became the first Dutch credit institution to complete the MiCAR notification process for digital asset services in Europe.
V. Binar / MiCA SCAN — EU Crypto Market Under MiCA April 2026 Status Report
Public April 2026 market snapshot based on ESMA registers and national competent authority sources, including CASP counts, country distribution, EMT and ART data, passporting figures and monthly growth dynamics.
