Slovenia crypto license 2026 — ATVP CASP authorisation
Slovenia is a small EU CASP jurisdiction run by the ATVP under MiCA and the ZIUTK act of 2024. Five Slovenian CASPs were on ESMA's register in October 2026. Pre-MiCA virtual-currency providers registered with the money-laundering office could continue until 1 July 2025.
Last reviewed by the Crypto Law Index editorial desk
A small jurisdiction with a working pipeline
Slovenia is a small EU CASP jurisdiction by application volume. Its implementing act, ZIUTK (Zakon o izvajanju Uredbe (EU) o trgih kriptosredstev, Ur. l. RS 95/2024), is a standalone act that makes the ATVP responsible for issuing and withdrawing CASP authorisations. By October 2026 the ATVP had authorised five CASPs, among them the portfolio platform ICONOMI and the exchange GateHub.
Slovenia also has crypto history: Bitstamp was founded there in 2011, before moving its registration to the United Kingdom and later Luxembourg. Its MiCA authorisation came from Luxembourg's CSSF, so the ATVP's experience comes from its own, smaller pipeline rather than from supervising a large exchange.
How supervision is split
The ATVP is the competent authority for CASP authorisation and ongoing supervision under ZIUTK, and the Bank of Slovenia is competent for e-money token offerors. Under ZIUIPSK (Ur. l. RS 17/2025), the act implementing the Transfer of Funds Regulation, the ATVP supervises CASPs' Travel Rule compliance; the Bank of Slovenia covers CASPs that are banks, payment institutions or e-money institutions, and the Office for Money Laundering Prevention (UPPD) receives suspicious-transaction reports.
The prudential floors come from MiCA Annex IV: €50,000 for Class 1 up to €150,000 for Class 3, or a quarter of fixed overheads if higher. What is Slovenia-specific is the wrapper: a formal application that advisers expect in Slovenian, a registered office and effective management in Slovenia, and an AML programme that works with UPPD reporting.
What this means for a 2026 applicant
Slovenia works for operators with Slovenian or Western Balkan connections, platforms targeting Central European retail markets, and businesses that value supervisor accessibility in a small pipeline. It is a weaker fit if the priority is the fastest EU authorisation, because the language requirement is real, the legal-services market is smaller than in Central European peers, and the operating ecosystem is shallower than in the volume-leading hubs. No ranked firm listed Slovenia on its profile in October 2026; if the table below is still empty, scope timing and substance with local Slovenian counsel before filing.
A Slovenia CASP authorisation is the licence granted by the Agencija za trg vrednostnih papirjev (ATVP, Securities Market Agency) under MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 and the Slovenian implementing act ZIUTK (Ur. l. RS 95/2024), authorising a crypto-asset service provider established in Slovenia to operate and to passport across the EU.
Fast facts
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Agencija za trg vrednostnih papirjev (ATVP, Securities Market Agency), Ljubljana |
| Legal basis | MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 + ZIUTK (Ur. l. RS 95/2024); ATVP issues and withdraws CASP authorisations (ZIUTK Art 3(1)) |
| Initial capital | €50,000 (Class 1) — €150,000 (Class 3), MiCA Annex IV |
| Travel Rule and AML | ATVP supervises CASPs under the TFR implementing act ZIUIPSK (Ur. l. RS 17/2025); the UPPD receives suspicious-transaction reports |
| Transitional period | Ended 1 July 2025 for virtual-currency providers on the UPPD register (ZIUTK Art 21) |
| Authorised CASPs | Five Slovenian CASPs on ESMA's interim register (25 October 2026), including ICONOMI and GateHub |
| Application language | Slovenian for the formal application in practice; confirm with the ATVP which annexes may be filed in English |
| Best for | Operators with Slovenian or Western Balkan teams that value close supervisor access |
Top counsel for Slovenia CASP work
Firms below are ranked according to the published CLPAI methodology.
No firms in the index currently feature Slovenia work.
Frequently asked questions about Slovenia CASP authorisation
Who supervises CASPs in Slovenia under MiCA?
The ATVP (Agencija za trg vrednostnih papirjev, Securities Market Agency) authorises and supervises CASPs under ZIUTK. It also supervises their Travel Rule compliance under ZIUIPSK, while the Bank of Slovenia covers CASPs that are banks, payment or e-money institutions.
How long does ATVP CASP authorisation take?
Practitioners estimate six to nine months end-to-end for a clean first-time file. The statutory decision period is 40 working days from a complete file under MiCA Article 63(9).
Did Slovenia have a pre-MiCA crypto register?
Yes. The Office for Money Laundering Prevention (UPPD) has kept a register of virtual-currency service providers since 2021. ZIUTK let registered providers continue until 1 July 2025 or until their CASP application was decided.
Is Bitstamp licensed in Slovenia?
No. Bitstamp was founded in Slovenia in 2011, but its MiCA entity, Bitstamp Europe S.A., was authorised by Luxembourg's CSSF in May 2025. The ATVP has not supervised it as a CASP.
Pitfalls and nuances in Slovenia
1 Underestimating Slovenian-language file requirements
Advisers expect the formal application in Slovenian, and the certified-translation market for financial services is small, so allow several weeks for a substantial file. The Slovenian legal-services market is also smaller than its Central European peers, so counsel selection takes more deliberate sourcing.
2 Treating the old UPPD registration as a licence
Registration with the money-laundering office was an AML registration, not an authorisation, and the ZIUTK transitional period ended on 1 July 2025. A provider without a MiCA authorisation or an Article 60 notification can no longer rely on it.
3 Overlooking Slovenian banking-access friction
Bank appetite for crypto-asset businesses is limited, so plan banking in parallel with the application and expect to engage specialist providers.
4 Treating Slovenia as exchangeable with Cyprus or Lithuania
Slovenia is a smaller, more deliberate jurisdiction than the volume-leading EU CASP hubs. Case-team capacity, legal-services depth and the operational ecosystem are all smaller, so applicants used to larger pipelines sometimes find the process slower than expected.
Regulator and primary sources
The supervisor of CASP authorisations in Slovenia is Agencija za trg vrednostnih papirjev (ATVP, Securities Market Agency). The legal basis is MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 + Act implementing the EU Regulation on markets in crypto-assets (ZIUTK, Ur. l. RS 95/2024). Visit www.a-tvp.si/eng/mica for the regulator's official guidance, application forms, and supervisory expectations.
For where every EU and EEA state stands — its authority, its national act and when its transitional period ended — see the MiCA implementation tracker.