Bitget’s European arm has formally entered the MiCAR approval process, filing for EU crypto-asset service provider authorisation with Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA), the exchange said in a June 17 update.
Key points
- Bitget EU submitted its authorisation request under Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 — the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation (MiCAR) — and the filing is now under review by Austria’s FMA.
- The company stressed the filing is an active application, not a licence or endorsement from the regulator; the timing, scope and outcome remain subject to the FMA’s assessment.
- If authorised and all regulatory steps are completed, Bitget EU plans to offer crypto-asset services across the EU within the approved scope.
- Bitget reminded users that current access to Bitget Global products remains governed by existing contractual and legal arrangements published online, and said user funds remain safe — users can verify assets via Bitget’s proof-of-reserves page.
- The firm noted the announcement does not constitute an offer to provide services in jurisdictions where prior authorisation is required.
Leadership and EU footprint
- In January Bitget named Oliver Stauber — formerly with KuCoin EU and Bitpanda — CEO of Bitget EU and said it would base its MiCAR-ready European headquarters in Vienna. The Vienna office was intended to coordinate compliance, governance and supervisory engagement across the EEA; the MiCAR filing shows that plan has now reached the formal review stage.
Regulatory context and market moves
- MiCAR requires crypto-asset service providers to obtain authorisation (CASP authorisation under Article 62) before offering covered services across the EU. As the regime tightens and transitional windows close, firms lacking proper authorisation may face limits on serving EU customers.
- The application arrives amid wider market activity around MiCAR compliance: today’s news follows BitGo launching MiCA-compliant custody and wallet infrastructure for European firms seeking regulatory-safe tooling while they pursue their own authorisations.
- Bitget has also pushed into regulated and tokenised products recently — for example, launching Reality, a platform offering tokenised U.S. stocks and ETFs backed 1:1 through regulated brokers.
Bitget’s CEO Gracy Chen shared the update on X, reiterating that the application is under regulatory review. The filing gives users and the market clearer visibility on Bitget EU’s regulatory trajectory, but it does not confirm approval.
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