The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation will reach full implementation by July 2026, forcing crypto exchanges, custodians, stablecoin issuers and portfolio managers to obtain EU authorization. The framework eliminates third-country equivalence, requiring non-EU firms to establish a local presence to serve European users.
While MiCA exempts fully decentralized protocols, regulators are focusing on intermediaries such as front-end operators and infrastructure providers. Guidance from the European Securities and Markets Authority introduces a spectrum of decentralization, allowing scrutiny of access points even when underlying smart contracts remain immutable. This approach mirrors earlier enforcement actions that targeted interfaces rather than code.
Self-custody wallets avoid direct classification as regulated entities, but related transfer rules require exchanges to log certain transactions from private wallets. For Bitcoin DeFi, the combined measures raise compliance costs and may restrict access, favoring larger platforms capable of operating within the new regulatory perimeter.
