Coinbase secures MiCA licence in Luxembourg

Coinbase has announced a new regulatory milestone, revealing that the cryptocurrency exchange has secured the Markets in Crypto-Assets license, allowing it to offer its services across the European Union.

U.S.-based Coinbase said in an announcement on Friday that it had acquired the MiCA license from the Luxembourg Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier.

The license allows the crypto behemoth to expand its range of crypto products to customers across the 27 states that make up the EU.

Coinbase moves European office to Luxembourg

MiCA is a key development that sees the exchange join other top crypto platforms and providers in securing the MiCA nod. Coinbase, which unveiled its European hub in Ireland in 2023, now joins OKX and Bybit among others in getting approval as a MiCA-compliant provider. Luxembourg becomes Coinbase’s new EU hub. 

The publicly-traded crypto company noted:

“Luxembourg has always been a key player in Europe’s financial ecosystem, and we’re delighted to share that Coinbase is officially establishing its European crypto hub in this dynamic country, under the Markets in Crypto Assets regulatory framework.”

Coinbase says choosing to expand its European presence from a base in Luxembourg aligns with the country’s support for crypto innovation and its role as a top financial hub. The move also positions the crypto exchange in a jurisdiction “that understands the needs of the crypto industry and excels in regulatory clarity.”

While the MiCA approval in Luxembourg is a major step for Coinbase, it’s not the exchange’s first regulatory win in Europe.

The company’s work with local regulators has already seen it secure licenses in Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. However, MiCA now provides Coinbase with a single regulatory framework across all these jurisdictions.

The MiCA rules came into full effect in Dec. 2024, with crypto exchanges and platforms among those required to secure approval. Implementation saw some platforms move to delist non-compliant stablecoins.