TLDR
The EU has updated its MiCA public register with 37 newly licensed crypto-asset service providers, including Standard Chartered, signalling a step up in fully regulated European crypto activity.
- ESMAs MiCA register now lists 37 additional licensed crypto firms, taking the tally to around 280 authorized providers across the EU.
- The new entries, including Standard Chartered, show traditional finance and major crypto firms are committing to MiCAs higher compliance bar instead of exiting the market.
- Users should watch which banks, exchanges, and stablecoin issuers secure MiCA licenses next, and where unlicensed platforms wind down or restrict EU access.
Deep Dive
1. Register Update Details
Europes securities regulator ESMA has expanded its MiCA register by 37 new crypto-asset service provider entries following the end of the transition period on 1 July 2026, according to an ESMA-focused summary of the update. The register is the official list of entities allowed to offer services like exchange, custody, brokerage, and portfolio management for crypto assets in the EU under MiCA.
Among the new entries is Standard Chartered, which has obtained a MiCA license alongside an electronic money institution license as part of its European digital assets strategy. The update comes after a rush to complete licensing before the deadline, when firms operating on old national registrations had to either obtain MiCA authorization or stop EU crypto services.
The headline is about regulatory status, not price moves. It confirms a concrete expansion of fully licensed players that can legally serve EU crypto users.
2. Impact On Market
MiCA replaces fragmented national rules with a single passportable license for exchanges, custodians, and other crypto-asset service providers. The addition of 37 firms on top of more than 240 earlier authorizations indicates that a meaningful slice of the industry has opted in to this framework rather than retreat from Europe.
Standard Chartereds inclusion is particularly important because it signals that large, conservative banks now see enough regulatory clarity to build crypto offerings inside the EU. At the same time, firms that missed the deadline now face operational restrictions, and some member states, such as Spain, are reported as unwilling to extend grace periods for laggards.
Expect a more institutional, compliance-heavy EU market, with better protections but potentially fewer, more curated venue choices for retail users.
3. What To Watch Next
Three things matter from here:
- Which other global banks and large exchanges appear on the MiCA register in coming months.
- How strictly national regulators enforce wind-downs for unlicensed platforms that were active pre-MiCA.
- Whether major stablecoin issuers and token projects adapt to MiCAs capital, disclosure, and governance rules or keep focusing on non-EU markets.
For anyone active in Europe, checking whether a platform or provider is on the MiCA register becomes a practical filter for counterparty risk and long term service continuity.
Conclusion
The addition of 37 new firms to the MiCA register, including Standard Chartered, shows that Europes unified crypto rulebook is moving from theory to practice. As more large, regulated institutions secure licenses and non-compliant firms exit, the EU market is likely to become more stable and institution-friendly, but also more selective about who can serve retail and professional crypto users.
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