Germany Adds Six More MiCA-Licensed Firms, Widening Its EU Lead

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has updated its MiCA provisional register, lifting the number of authorized cryptoasset service providers (CASPs) across the European Union to 331, CoinDesk reported. The latest update adds six new entrants, all from Germany's cooperative banking sector: Raiffeisenbank Aidlingen, Ihre Volksbank, VR Bank Mittelfranken Mitte, Volksbank Euskirchen, VR Bank Ried Überwald, and Volksbank Backnang. Compared with the register dated August 12, the additions further strengthen Germany's position as the bloc's top jurisdiction for crypto licensing. ESMA's data show Germany now has more than twice as many licensed CASPs as France. France ranks second with 35, followed by the Netherlands with 29. Licensing momentum has continued even after the MiCA transitional arrangement ended on July 1, 2026. ESMA's register indicates valid MiCA licenses rose from 244 on June 29 to 309 by July 23, and have since increased again to 331. In a prior July update, ESMA added four German entities—Raiffeisenbank Falkenstein Wörth, Spar und Kreditbank Rheinstetten, VR Bank Augsburg Ostallgäu, and JT Technologies. Around the same time, BNY Mellon's Belgian subsidiary received authorization to provide crypto custody and transfer services. Germany's cooperative banking network is also moving to embed retail crypto services. DZ Bank has begun rolling out cryptocurrency trading via cooperative banks, enabling customers to buy and sell digital assets within existing banking relationships rather than opening separate exchange accounts. DZ Bank received approval from Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) in January under the MiCA framework for its meinKrypto platform. The service initially supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Cardano, with custody handled by Boerse Stuttgart Digital. BaFin has previously attributed Germany's higher MiCA authorization count to the scale of its financial system and the larger pool of credit institutions able to offer crypto services. It also noted that Germany had already brought crypto custody under regulated financial services before MiCA took full effect, allowing some firms operating under national rules to qualify for a simplified transition process. MiCA creates a single EU authorization regime. Once a firm is approved by its national competent authority and completes the notification process, it can use the "passporting" mechanism to provide services across other member states. Beyond the expanding CASP register, ESMA's other MiCA lists have seen little movement. The asset-referenced token register remains empty, the electronic money token register has 43 entries, and the list of noncompliant entities stands at 167. ESMA is also shifting emphasis from licensing to ongoing supervision, focusing on operational resilience, custody controls, key management, incident response, and third-party service risks.