The Austrian crypto broker Bitpanda has taken another important step towards complete EU-wide regulation. The financial market supervision (FMA) in Austria has the third license as part of the Vienna Fintech “Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation” (Mica) granted. After BaFin in Germany and the MfSA in Malta, this is already the third approval of the company under the new EU-wide regulatory framework-and a clear signal for Bitpandas ambitions in Europe.
Uniform rules, more trust
Micawhich has been completely in force since the end of 2024, the goal is to create uniform standards for crypto service providers throughout the European Union. The focus is on market transparency, consumer protection and regulatory clarity-three aspects that have often been neglected in the crypto industry. With a valid mica license, providers such as Bitpanda may offer their services-including trade, storage, staking or savings plans-legally and legally in all EU member states.
Bitpanda is the first major player to secure the Micar License from Austria’s FMA 🇦🇹
This Marks Its Third Micar License After Germany and Malta – Another Step Towards Building the Most Regulated Crypto Platform in Europe. pic.twitter.com/gii43mvo8h
– Bitpanda (@bitpanda_global) April 10, 2025
Bitpanda is not only the first Austrian company with a complete mica approval, but is also one of the pioneers in the implementation of the new regulations across Europe. For Eric Demuth, CEO and co -founder of Bitpanda, this is a consistent continuation of what the platform has always believed in: regulation. He explained in addition:
“Even before Mica, we were one of the most regulated crypto platforms in Europe-with over ten different licenses. Today we continue this path and were successfully checked by three different supervisory authorities in three countries.”
Progress with challenges
The way to a uniform regulation of Cryptocurrencies However, it is not entirely without stumbling blocks. Mica is supposed to create a harmonized set of rules, but national supervisory authorities interpret the provisions differently. The fact that Bitpanda has applied for three individual licenses despite EU-wide passporting raises questions: Why is additional effort necessary if Mica is supposed to enable cross-border business in the area of ​​cryptocurrencies?
This inconsistency could be a competitive disadvantage for smaller providers and water down the real goal of harmonization. Nevertheless, Bitpanda shows how a proactive examination of regulation also contains opportunities: Anyone who relies on compliance at an early stage can establish themselves in the long term as a reliable provider and secure regulatory lead over the competition.
A concrete example of the effects of Mica is the withdrawal of stable coins such as Tether (USDT) from European stock exchanges. We recently have that In our news reports: Platforms such as Binance and Crypto.com have hired the trade with USDT because it does not meet the mica requirements for transparency and licensing. Providers who do not adhere to the new guidelines risk loss their approval for the entire EU market.
Against this background, Bitpanda’s third Mica license gains importance. Admission by the Austrian FMA strengthens the position of the company in the European market and shows how important it is to implement regulatory requirements at an early stage.