EU Bars Belarusian Control of Crypto Firms under Expanded Regulation

The European Union has expanded its crypto regulation to bar Belarusian control of MiCA firms. The restriction covers exchanges, transfers, advice, and portfolio management services defined under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation.

Council Decision (Common Foreign and Security Policy) 2026/1847 amended the bloc's Belarus sanctions framework on July 23. It prohibited Belarusian nationals and residents from owning or controlling covered European entities, as well as holding positions on those firms' governing bodies.

The revised text covers entities providing services defined under Regulation (EU) 2023/1114, which established the MiCA framework. Covered activities include operating trading platforms, exchanging crypto assets for funds or other tokens, order execution, transmission, placement, and transfers.