Germany adds six cooperative banks to the MiCA register
The European Securities and Markets Authority updated its MiCA register on Aug. 24, lifting the total number of EU-authorized CASPs, or crypto-asset service providers, to 331.
All six new entries are German cooperative banks: Raiffeisenbank Aidlingen, Ihre Volksbank, VR-Bank Mittelfranken Mitte, Volksbank Euskirchen, VR Bank Ried-Überwald and Volksbank Backnang.
Germany now has 79 authorized CASPs, keeping its lead in the EU. That is well above France's 35 and the Netherlands' 29. At the end of June, Germany was already first with 57 CASPs, and the count has continued to rise since then.
Why Germany is ahead
Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority previously said the country's lead in MiCA authorizations is mainly tied to its large financial sector and the high number of credit institutions eligible to offer crypto services.
The regulator also said Germany's existing national licensing regime has helped during the transition period. Some CASPs can obtain authorization through a simplified process, which has made the rollout faster than in other EU member states.
Other register data unchanged
In the latest update, the datasets for asset-referenced tokens, electronic money tokens and non-compliant entities were unchanged.
The ART register remains empty, EMTs stay at 43, and the non-compliant entities list remains at 167.
Under the EU's unified crypto regulatory framework, Germany is taking an early lead on compliance.