EU’s MiCA Crypto Legal Framework Inches Towards Law With EU Council Finance Ministers’ Sign-Off
Landmark new crypto rules were signed off on Tuesday by finance ministers of the European Union (EU).
The EU’s Council, which represents 27 member states, unanimously approved the Markets in Crypto Assets regulation (MiCA), making the bloc set to be the first major jurisdiction in the world with a crypto licensing regime. It also agreed new anti-money laundering measures on crypto funds transfers.
“I am very pleased that today we are delivering on our promise to start regulating the crypto-assets sector. Recent events have confirmed the urgent need for imposing rules which will better protect Europeans who have invested in these assets, and prevent the misuse of crypto industry for the purposes of money laundering and financing of terrorism,” said a statement from Elisabeth Svantesson, minister for finance of Sweden, who chaired the talks as Council Presidency.
MiCA requires crypto firms such as wallet providers and exchanges to seek a license to operate across the bloc, and stablecoin issuers to hold suitable reserves. Its main features were politically agreed in June, but it’s been subject to administrative hold-ups. Major provisions take effect just over a year after it’s published in the bloc’s official journal, which is now likely in June or July.
“Crypto-assets and e-money have great potential to drive economic activity and innovation – but they also carry risks of reducing transparency and enabling tax evasion or fraud. Updating our tax rules to address these issues will help national administrations to collect tax more efficiently and keep up with evolving technology as Europe moves forward with its digital transition,” Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice-president for an Economy that Works for People, said in a statement.
Update (May 16, 09:34 UTC): Adds detail and quotes on agreement related to new tax measures throughout the article.
