🚨TETHER CEO CALLS OUT MiCA AS “NOT WELL THOUGHT” LEGISLATION! In a now widely resurfaced Cointelegraph interview, Paolo Ardoino criticized the EU’s MiCA rules, saying its reserve requirements, forcing large uninsured cash deposits in European banks, could increase risk for stablecoin issuers and the banking system. He also added: “I think the European Central Bank is more interested to push the Digital Euro as a way to control people and control how they spend their money, rather than actually looking for the best interest of its population.” This is why Tether skipped MiCA licensing to protect its users.

Total cost to turn €1,000 in your bank into BTC in your own wallet: SEPA deposit + taker fee + orderbook slippage + BTC withdrawal fee Total cost to turn €1,000 of BTC in your wallet into EUR in your bank: BTC network fee + taker fee + orderbook slippage + SEPA withdrawal. Our MiCA dashboard now shows onramp and offramp costs.

So, arriving at the end of a week, some thoughts on MiCA…. I think we can firmly put one idea to bed: MiCA was never "just a paperwork exercise." Even Binance, the biggest exchange on earth, with more lawyers and compliance staff than most regulators, wasn't able to complete the licensing process in time. If an organisation operating at that scale couldn’t simply "comply and move on", we can probably retire the fairytale that everyone else should have found it easy. The truth is thousands of firms were operating before this deadline, but only a handful made it through. Germany, France, and the Netherlands hold most of the approvals, entire countries have none. And it’s not a coincidence, and it’s not incompetence on the industry’s part either, though I’m sure we’ll hear that said. This is just what happens when a regulator asks every company to prove it can survive years of legal spend before it's allowed to keep existing. The firms that cleared MiCA aren’t building anything better; some might be, but most probably aren't. They’re the ones that could afford to pay lawyers for longer. That’s all. Nobody running a project wants to say that part out loud, because it sounds like sour grapes from whoever didn't make the cut. But I'm not in that position, and I'll say it anyway: MiCA is going to protect users, and it's also going to hollow out the middle of this industry, the teams with real products and no war chest. What we are watching is protection and consolidation happening at the same time, and pretending otherwise is just being polite about it. I am not saying this from the outside. We spent the better part of the last year treating this exact outcome as the baseline case for @ZIGChain, not the worst case. We assumed early that a fractured, jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction version of crypto was coming regardless of how the headlines framed it. That assumption is now just how the market works, and the projects still operating like it's optional are the ones about to find out the hard way. 🙏

MiCA Transition Ends on July 1: Approximately 75% of EU Crypto Companies May Lose License The EU’s MiCA transition period will end on July 1, after which crypto exchanges, brokers and wallet service providers without a MiCA license will no longer be able to serve EU users. As of May 2026, only 194 crypto firms in the EU had obtained a license, compared with more than 3,000 registered crypto firms in 2024. Around 75% of existing firms are expected to lose operating eligibility. Unlicensed platforms will need to stop new deposits and guide users to withdraw assets or transfer them to licensed firms. Regulators in some countries may also take measures such as website blocking and public warning lists.

MiCA compliant EURe Stablecoin Goes Live On Near Near Protocol (@NEARProtocol) has integrated the MiCA compliant EURe stablecoin, expanding euro based payments and trading onchain. European users can now move euros onchain from their own wallets and access assets across more than 30 blockchains.

🚨SPAIN SAYS NO MICA DEADLINE EXTENSIONS Spain’s securities regulator says crypto firms that FAIL to secure MiCA approval by July 1 will get no waivers, no extensions and no exceptions. “There will be no exceptions or extensions,” CNMV Chair Carlos San Basilio reportedly said, referring to all crypto firms affected by the framework.

MiCA marks the beginning of a new chapter for digital assets in Europe. If you’re looking for a regulated platform built for the long term, we’re excited to welcome you to OKX. To celebrate this new chapter, we’re offering one of our biggest welcome campaigns for eligible EEA users, including welcome bonuses and deposit matching of up to 8%. Welcome to the future of digital finance in Europe. @okx

Big news: OpenPayd has secured its MiCA licence 🚀 This is a significant milestone, strengthening our ability to unify traditional banking and regulated digital asset infrastructure through a single platform. Read the full announcement: