ESMA MiCA Register Reveals Only 21 Trading Platforms Among 329 Authorisations

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published an open file of all MiCA authorisations, revealing that only 21 out of 329 permits allow for the operation of a trading platform. This means that many companies are offering services that are not explicitly allowed by their authorisation.

Germany leads the field with 72 authorisations, more than twice as many as second-placed France with 35. The majority of these authorisations belong to banks and investment firms offering crypto trading as an add-on to existing services.

The most common service authorised is custody of crypto-assets, followed by transfer services and exchange for euros or other currencies. However, operating a trading platform is the rarest service at only 6.4% of all authorisations.