---
title: "Belgium Crypto License 2026 — FSMA CASP Authorisation | CLI"
canonical: "https://cryptolawindex.com/jurisdiction/belgium/"
type: jurisdiction-guide
country: "Belgium"
countryCode: "BE"
regulator: "Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA)"
publisher: "Crypto Law Index"
---

# Belgium — MiCA CASP licensing

Belgium runs its MiCA CASP regime through the FSMA under the Law of 20 December 2024, with the NBB handling AML for credit institutions and CTIF-CFI taking suspicious-transaction reports. The pipeline is small, the supervisor engages closely, and filings go in Dutch, French, or German.

## Definition

Belgium's CASP authorisation is the licence granted by the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) under MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 Articles 59 and 63, transposed into Belgian law by the Law of 20 December 2024, to crypto-asset service providers established in Belgium.

## Fast facts

- **Competent authority:** Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA), Brussels — authorisation, conduct, consumer protection
- **Prudential / banking supervision:** National Bank of Belgium (NBB) — credit-institution CASPs under Article 60, plus financial-institution AML
- **AML supervisor:** NBB for financial institutions; CTIF-CFI (Belgian FIU) for suspicious-transaction reporting
- **Legal basis:** MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 + Belgian Law of 20 December 2024
- **Statutory clock:** Five months from complete file to decision under MiCA Article 63
- **Initial capital:** €50,000 / €125,000 / €150,000 by Class 1 / 2 / 3, MiCA Annex IV
- **Filing languages:** Dutch, French, or German; English working translations for supporting documentation

## Editorial guide

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## Pitfalls

### Underestimating the trilingual filing reality

Belgium has three official languages — Dutch, French, and German. The FSMA accepts a formal application in any of the three, but the dossier must be consistent within one language. Mixed-language filings produce administrative friction, so pick the language early and stick to it.

### Treating the FSMA register transition as automatic

Belgian VASPs on the FSMA's pre-MiCA register had 12 months to file a CASP application. The transitional regime granted operational continuity, not authorisation — a register entry conferred no presumption of CASP authorisation, and the substantive file requirements applied in full.

### Overlooking the NBB / FSMA coordination on credit-institution CASPs

Credit institutions notifying under MiCA Article 60 engage NBB on the underlying banking-supervision matters and FSMA on conduct and consumer protection. The two-supervisor engagement is real, even if lighter than the Italian split.

### Underestimating CTIF-CFI engagement on AML

CTIF-CFI, the Belgian FIU, receives suspicious-transaction reports and engages directly with reporting CASPs. It is one of the more demanding EU FIUs on STR quality and contextual narrative, so a generic AML programme faces supervisory questions.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who supervises CASPs in Belgium under MiCA?

The FSMA is the national competent authority for CASP authorisation, conduct supervision, and consumer protection. The NBB supervises credit-institution CASPs under Article 60 and provides AML supervision for financial institutions.

### Did Belgium have a pre-MiCA crypto register?

Yes. The FSMA's crypto-asset register, established by Royal Decree of 8 February 2022, covered VASPs operating in Belgium. It wound down at MiCA application, with a 12-month transitional regime to file a CASP application.

### How long does FSMA CASP authorisation take?

Six to nine months end-to-end for a clean first-time file. The statutory clock is five months from a complete file to decision under MiCA Article 63; the small pipeline permits close supervisor engagement at roughly EU-median speed.

### Why would a CASP choose Belgium over Lithuania or Ireland?

Regulatory-policy proximity. Brussels hosts the European Commission, ESMA's office, and EU-level financial-services infrastructure, which is a real strategic advantage for platforms that engage with EU-level policy or institutional counterparties.

## Featured firms in this jurisdiction

- https://cryptolawindex.com/firm/bird-and-bird/

---

*Regulator: [Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA)](https://www.fsma.be/en/mica)*
*Regulation: MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114, transposed in Belgium via the Law of 20 December 2024*
*HTML version: https://cryptolawindex.com/jurisdiction/belgium/*
*Methodology: https://cryptolawindex.com/methodology/*