Europe’s crypto licensing machine is picking up steam. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) dropped its first post-deadline MiCA register update on Friday, adding 37 new licensed crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) to the list.
Big names in the mix? Standard Chartered, FalconX, Sygnum Europe, and Ronin EM all made the cut. Standard Chartered secured its MiCA authorization from Luxembourg regulators on June 25, along with an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license that lets it issue electronic money and handle payment services.
“Securing our MiCA and EMI licences is a key step in progressing our digital asset journey in Europe,” said Margaret Harwood-Jones, Standard Chartered’s global head of financing.
The ESMA register now lists 280 CASPs overall, up from 243 in the late June update. Cyprus led the new additions with six approvals, followed by France, Italy, and Malta at five each. The Czech Republic and Spain added four apiece.
Germany’s BaFin still holds the crown with 58 total MiCA authorizations. Cyprus’s CySEC now sits at 21.
The register of asset-referenced tokens (ARTs) stayed empty — no approved issuers there. And the list of non-compliant entities? Unchanged at 162.
Standard Chartered said the approvals build on recent milestones like launching digital asset custody in Asia and the Middle East, plus its work with Circle on USDC minting via banking rails.
