ESMA adds 14 MiCA licensed CASPs

TLDR

ESMA has added 14 new crypto asset service providers to the EUs MiCA register, bringing total licensed CASPs to 294 and signaling a slower post-deadline licensing pace.

1. ESMAs latest MiCA update added 14 CASPs including Ripple and several banks, lifting the licensed total to 294 from 280.
2. MiCA CASP status gives firms EU-wide passporting for regulated crypto services, while most prior national registrants missed the new regimes deadline.
3. Users should watch further license additions, stablecoin approvals and enforcement against non-compliant platforms, which will shape where Europeans can safely access crypto.

Deep Dive

1. What ESMA Just Did

On 16 July 2026, ESMA updated its Markets in Crypto Assets register, adding 14 new CASPs and raising the licensed total to 294, up from 280 in the 3 July update. The latest batch includes Ripple Payments Europe, Portugals Bison Bank, Croatias state-owned Hrvatska potanska banka, German cooperative banks and Liechtensteins Kaiser Partner Privatbank, according to a detailed register summary.

Reporting notes that these 14 additions follow an earlier surge of 37 firms immediately after MiCAs transitional period ended on 1 July 2026, suggesting licensing momentum is slowing as the initial wave clears. ESMA also continues to grow a separate non-compliant list, now at 164 entities, for firms acting without proper authorization.

2. Why MiCA CASP Status Matters

Under MiCA, CASP authorization from one national regulator allows a firm to passport its license and offer covered crypto services across most of the European Economic Area. Ripple Payments Europe, for example, can now provide regulated crypto and stablecoin payment services across 29 EU countries after its MiCA approval and Luxembourg licensing, as highlighted in Ripples EU access coverage.

Payment processor BitPays Dutch unit has also secured CASP status, enabling regulated crypto payment, stablecoin and cross border services across the EU under one framework, as noted in BitPays MiCA license article. At the same time, ESMA data show that only a minority of previously registered national providers obtained MiCA licenses by the deadline, meaning many unlicensed platforms must wind down EU services or operate at regulatory risk.

3. What To Watch Next In Europe

ESMAs EMT and ART registers remain largely static, with 21 electronic money token issuers and no asset referenced tokens approved so far, indicating that fully MiCA compliant stablecoins are still limited. As more payment firms and banks join the CASP list, attention will turn to which stablecoins and token models gain regulatory approval.

Enforcement risk for non licensed platforms is already visible in cases like Dutch exchange Knaken, which went bankrupt without MiCA authorization amid an uncovered multimillion euro customer asset shortfall, as detailed in coverage of the Knaken collapse. Regulators also warn that rapid customer migration toward licensed providers will test anti money laundering and operational controls.

Conclusion

ESMAs addition of 14 MiCA licensed CASPs is another step in Europes shift from fragmented national regimes to a single regulated crypto market, with banks and payment firms now firmly in the mix. For crypto users, the key implication is that MiCA authorization increasingly defines which platforms can safely and legally serve EU customers, while enforcement and stablecoin approvals will determine how broad and flexible that regulated ecosystem becomes.