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By: Daniel Forester, Melissa Baal Guidorizzi, Daniel Jones, Guy Stevenson of global law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.

The EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulations are now all but final and may take effect this year. MiCA will provide new regulatory frameworks, including licensing and disclosure obligations, for participants in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, including token issuers, financial intermediaries (exchanges, brokers, etc.) and custodians.

What Happened

The Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament gave its approval to MiCA on October 10, 2022, the latest step in a process that has lasted more than two years.

What's Next

This paves the way for the larger European Parliament plenary to approve the regulations, a step that often is merely procedural. Once the plenary approves MiCA, it will become effective and mark the beginning of 18 months in which firms must become compliant, with the regulations coming into full effect in the second or third quarter of 2024.

While the text of MiCA helps provide regulatory certainty for crypto-asset businesses and consumers in the EU, additional practical guidelines for implementation will also be drafted to further elaborate MiCA.

MiCA's Goals

MiCA's main objective is to provide a level of regulatory and economic harmonization to crypto-asset businesses and consumers across Europe. Guiding principles of MiCA include:

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