Knowledge base

Regulatory deep dives. By practitioners, for practitioners.

21 long-form analyses covering MiCA implementation, VASP-to-CASP transition, prudential capital, DORA, Travel Rule, stablecoin reserves, and jurisdictional comparisons. Each piece cites primary sources and is reviewed against the regulator's most recent technical standards.

The Edges of MiCA Scope 2026 — DeFi, Staking, DLT Pilot, Article 60, Reverse Solicitation MiCA rules

MiCA scope edges · DeFi · staking · DLT Pilot · Article 60 · reverse solicitation · MiFID II line

The Edges of MiCA Scope 2026 — DeFi, Staking, DLT Pilot, Article 60, Reverse Solicitation

Where MiCA's perimeter actually sits — the DeFi carve-out, staking and lending, the DLT Pilot Regime boundary, the Article 60 bank track, reverse solicitation, and the MiFID II fin…

ana-petrova ·

EU Travel Rule, AML, Sanctions & DAC8 — CASP Compliance 2026 AML & Travel Rule

EU TFR · Travel Rule · 2026 implementation

EU Travel Rule, AML, Sanctions & DAC8 — CASP Compliance 2026

The EU AML, Travel Rule, sanctions and tax-reporting stack for CASPs in one place — TFR member-state implementation, self-hosted wallets, FATF R.16, AMLA/AMLR 2027, DAC8, sanctions…

ana-petrova ·

Crypto company formation across Estonia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Ireland, Poland, Switzerland and the UAE Company formation

Crypto company formation · Cross-jurisdiction guide

Crypto Company Formation 2026: The Vehicle, the Capital, and the Licence

A cross-jurisdiction guide to forming the company behind a crypto business — Estonia OÜ, Lithuania UAB, Czech s.r.o., Ireland LTD, Poland sp. z o.o., Swiss AG/GmbH, and the UAE fre…

kevin-hartmann ·

Crypto Broker License 2026 — OTC Desk and Brokerage Under MiCA Operational

Crypto brokerage · OTC desk · MiCA services

Crypto Broker License 2026 — OTC Desk and Brokerage Under MiCA

A crypto broker license under MiCA is built from CASP services — reception and transmission of orders, execution, and placing for an agency broker; exchange for a principal OTC des…

kevin-hartmann ·

Crypto Casino License vs Gambling License 2026 — What Operators Need MiCA rules

Crypto casino · Gambling + crypto licensing

Crypto Casino License vs Gambling License 2026 — What Operators Need

Crypto casino operators face the intersection of gambling regulation and crypto-asset regulation. Some jurisdictions treat crypto casinos under their general gambling framework; ot…

kevin-hartmann ·

Licensed Crypto Exchanges EU 2026 — Authorised CASP Directory MiCA rules

Licensed crypto exchanges EU · CASP directory 2026

Licensed Crypto Exchanges EU 2026 — Authorised CASP Directory

By 2026 the EU has approximately 300-500 authorised CASPs operating under MiCA Regulation. This guide explains how authorisation works, where the major exchanges are licensed, and …

marcus-reid ·

MiCA Stablecoin Regulation Summary 2026 — Title III ART + Title IV EMT MiCA rules

MiCA stablecoin · Title III + Title IV

MiCA Stablecoin Regulation Summary 2026 — Title III ART + Title IV EMT

MiCA's stablecoin regulation splits across Title III (asset-referenced tokens) and Title IV (e-money tokens) with distinct issuer authorisation pathways, reserve requirements, and …

jana-bistrikova ·

VASP License Crypto Explained — Pre-MiCA Frameworks to MiCA Migration MiCA rules

VASP licensing · Pre-MiCA frameworks

VASP License Crypto Explained — Pre-MiCA Frameworks to MiCA Migration

VASP (Virtual Asset Service Provider) registration was the dominant pre-MiCA EU crypto framework — AML-focused registration in Estonia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Latvia, Finland, …

marcus-reid ·

First MiCA Enforcement Actions 2026 — Case Tracker MiCA rules

MiCA enforcement · First-year case tracker

First MiCA Enforcement Actions 2026 — Case Tracker

MiCA enforcement is operational. The first year produced authorisation refusals, withdrawals, fines, public warnings, and criminal referrals, on a supervision framework across NCA …

jana-bistrikova ·

MiCA CASP Authorisation 2026 — Procedure, Capital & Timeline MiCA rules

CASP authorisation · MiCA practitioner guide

MiCA CASP Authorisation 2026 — Procedure, Capital & Timeline

The complete MiCA CASP authorisation pillar — Article 62 documents checklist, choosing Class 1/2/3, Article 67 own funds, the five-month clock, real timelines, information requests…

marcus-reid ·

Qualifying Holdings Acquisitions 2026 — MiCA CASP Guide MiCA rules

Qualifying holdings · CASP acquisitions

Qualifying Holdings Acquisitions 2026 — MiCA CASP Guide

MiCA's qualifying holdings framework governs notification and approval of any acquisition that brings a shareholder above 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% in a CASP. Deal timelines, document …

ana-petrova ·

CASP Operations and Lifecycle 2026 — MiCA Passport, Banking, Wind-Down MiCA rules

MiCA · CASP operations & lifecycle

CASP Operations and Lifecycle 2026 — MiCA Passport, Banking, Wind-Down

The CASP passport under MiCA Article 65 went operational in late 2024 — but a working passport is one part of running an authorised CASP. This pillar covers cross-border operations…

ana-petrova ·

Crypto Custody Segregation Rules — MiCA Practitioner Guide MiCA rules

Crypto custody · Segregation rules

Crypto Custody Segregation Rules — MiCA Practitioner Guide

MiCA Article 75 sets the operational rulebook for CASP custody of client crypto-assets — segregation, ledger accuracy, bankruptcy-remoteness, and safeguarding obligations.

ana-petrova ·

Crypto custody licence — jurisdictions compared in 2026 Comparison

Crypto custody licence · Comparison

Crypto Custody Licence: Jurisdictions Compared (2026)

A crypto custody licence is not one licence. Under MiCA it is a CASP Class 2 authorisation; in the US a state trust charter or SPDI; in Asia a different licence in each market. The…

kevin-hartmann ·

Crypto exchange license — jurisdictions compared in 2026 Comparison

Crypto exchange licence · Comparison

Crypto Exchange License: Jurisdictions Compared (2026)

A crypto exchange licence is not one licence. It is six or seven different regimes — MiCA, VARA, MAS, SFC, FCA, FINMA, and the US state-by-state map. This is the 2026 jurisdictiona…

kevin-hartmann ·

Cyprus CySEC versus Malta MFSA — CASP licence compared Comparison

Cyprus vs Malta · CASP comparison

Cyprus vs Malta CASP License 2026 — CySEC vs MFSA Guide

Cyprus vs Malta for a MiCA CASP licence — both grant authorisation with EU passport, both small English-language EU jurisdictions. The real comparison is regulator track record, su…

kevin-hartmann ·

Estonia versus Lithuania — CASP licence compared Comparison

Estonia vs Lithuania · CASP comparison

Estonia vs Lithuania CASP License 2026 — Which to Choose

Estonia vs Lithuania for a MiCA CASP licence, with Latvia and Poland in the frame too. The Baltic-CEE rulebooks have converged under MiCA. What still separates these hubs is ecosys…

marcus-reid ·

EU MiCA compared with FINMA, TVTG, VARA, and the Canada MSB regime Comparison

MiCA vs other regimes · Comparison pillar

MiCA vs Other Regimes — Switzerland, Dubai, Canada Compared

MiCA is the EU's bespoke, passportable crypto regime. This pillar sets it against the alternatives founders actually weigh — Switzerland's FINMA framework and token classes, Liecht…

marcus-reid ·

MiCA conduct and marketing compliance for CASPs MiCA rules

CASP conduct and marketing · MiCA rules

MiCA Conduct and Marketing Rules for CASPs: The Full Cluster

How MiCA governs CASP conduct — fair-clear-not-misleading marketing (Article 7, 74), influencer rules, conflicts (72), inducements (78), best execution (80), order management (82),…

ana-petrova ·

European map — MiCA CASP jurisdictional choice Comparison

EU jurisdictional comparison

Best EU Jurisdiction for MiCA CASP in 2026: A Practical Comparison

Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Malta, Ireland — six EU member states actively process MiCA CASP files in 2026, and they differ on timeline, supervisory rigour, capital…

ana-petrova ·

Server infrastructure — ICT operational resilience Operational

DORA · ICT operational resilience

DORA ICT Resilience Plan for CASPs: What 2026 Requires

DORA applies to MiCA-authorised CASPs from 17 January 2025. By 2026 supervisors are scrutinising ICT-resilience plans against actual operating reality, not just template compliance…

marcus-reid ·