How to Find Out If Your Exchange Has a MiCA License in 3 Minutes (ESMA's Official Registry)

Updated on June 26, 2026

With six days left until the end of the MiCA transition period, the question most frequently asked by European cryptocurrency users is no longer just a theoretical one: Is my exchange licensed or not? The good news is that you don’t have to rely on what the platform itself says, or on a comparison site of dubious origin. There is a public registry, managed by the European regulator, that lists all providers authorized under the MiCA Regulation. Here’s exactly where to look and how to interpret it in less than three minutes.

The only register that matters: ESMA's Interim MiCA Register

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is the body responsible for centralizing information on all authorized crypto-asset service providers (CASP) in the European Union. Pursuant to Articles 109 and 110 of the MiCA Regulation, ESMA was required to publish, by December 30, 2024, a central register of authorized providers, crypto-asset white papers, and non-compliant entities.

While that registry is being formally integrated into ESMA’s IT systems, what currently exists is the so-called Interim MiCA Register, available on the MiCA page at esma.europa.eu. It’s important to note upfront that this is not a typical search website with a search engine and visual results: it consists of a set of five CSV files that are updated weekly, listing, respectively, crypto-asset white papers, issuers of asset-backed tokens, issuers of electronic money tokens, authorized CASP providers, and entities identified as non-compliant.

To verify a specific exchange using the official source, the file you need is the one listing authorized CASPs. You’ll need to download it, open it in any spreadsheet program, and search for the entity’s trade name or legal name. This process is 100% reliable because it’s the primary source, but it’s not exactly convenient for someone who just wants to confirm something in a couple of minutes on their phone.

The Fast Track: Aggregators That Check the ESMA Registry for You

Since the CSV format isn't exactly user-friendly, several independent tools have emerged that automatically download the ESMA files and present them in a conventional search interface, with name fields and filters by country and service type. These are not official agencies, nor do they replace the ESMA registry, but they are based on exactly the same data and are updated on the same weekly schedule.

The process with any of these aggregators is always the same: type the name of the exchange into the search bar, check whether it appears as an authorized entity, and verify which national regulator granted the license and for which specific services it is authorized. If the exchange is on the list, it can legally operate with European customers thanks to the single passport provided by MiCA, regardless of the country where it obtained its authorization. If it doesn’t appear, you shouldn’t automatically assume that something is wrong, because the registry may be slightly out of date with regard to very recent authorizations, but it is reason enough to investigate further and consult the official source directly before depositing funds.

What to Do If You Live in Spain: The CNMV's Supplementary Registry

Those operating from Spain have an additional, more accessible option available in Spanish. The National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) publishes its own list of crypto-asset service providers (PSCA) with a MiCA passport to operate in Spain, which includes both entities authorized directly by the CNMV and those that operate via a European passport from another member state.

This national list may show slight time lags compared to the European registry, as it takes a little longer for national authorizations to be reflected in ESMA’s centralized records. For a comprehensive check, the most reliable approach is to review both registries: the European one, which provides an overview of the entire EU, and the CNMV’s registry, which specifically confirms the status for Spanish users.

Three minutes, three steps

To summarize the entire process, verifying an exchange’s regulatory status requires just three steps. First, identify the exact legal name of the entity providing the service, which does not always match the well-known brand name: Binance, for example, operates through different corporate entities depending on the country, and Bybit clearly distinguishes between its global entity and Bybit EU GmbH, which is the only one regulated under MiCA. Second, search for that name in the ESMA registry—either directly in the CSV files or through an aggregator that displays them in a more user-friendly format. Third, if you live in Spain, cross-check the result against the CNMV’s list to confirm that the entity does indeed have a passport to operate within the country.

What exactly does «appear in the registry» mean?»

Being listed on the Interim MiCA Register is not merely a symbolic gesture: it is the difference between being protected by the regulation and not being protected by it. ESMA has explicitly warned investors that entities that continue to provide crypto-asset services after the end of the transitional period are not guaranteed authorization under MiCA, and has emphasized that it is the user’s own responsibility to check the register to verify that the entity with which they are a client is indeed authorized, as the only way to ensure they benefit from the protections offered by the regulation.

These protections are no small matter. A CASP-licensed exchange is required to keep customer assets completely segregated from the company’s own funds, a requirement expressly set forth in Article 70 of the regulations. This means that, in the event of the platform’s bankruptcy or insolvency, users’ cryptocurrencies cannot be used to pay the company’s creditors. An unlicensed exchange, on the other hand, has no such legal obligation, and no European regulator has the authority to intervene if something goes wrong as long as the platform remains unlicensed.

What to Do If Your Exchange Isn't Listed

If the check reveals that the platform is not listed as an authorized CASP, it does not necessarily mean that it will disappear from Europe forever, but it does mean that as of today it is operating without the safeguards provided by MiCA. The recommendation that both ESMA and the CNMV have reiterated in their latest statements is clear: anyone with funds in an unauthorized entity should consider transferring them to a CASP that is listed in the registry, or to a self-custody wallet, rather than waiting for the situation to resolve itself.

It is also important to note that the regulations themselves prohibit authorized providers from subcontracting essential services—particularly custody—to entities that are not themselves authorized as CASPs. This closes a potential loophole: even operating through a regulated intermediary offers no protection if the ultimate custodian of the assets does not hold a valid license.

A check that should be repeated, not done just once

The ESMA registry is updated weekly, and the regulatory landscape in these final weeks leading up to July 1 is changing almost daily. An exchange that isn’t listed as authorized today may be added to the registry the following week, and vice versa: an entity operating under a national transitional regime may lose that protection overnight if its application is rejected. For this reason, checking the registry is not a one-time task, but rather something that should be repeated, especially if you hold open positions or significant funds on any platform whose status is not entirely clear.

Exchanges Regulated by MiCA as of June 26, 2026

In the meantime, here is the list of exchanges that have a verified CASP license as of today and are authorized to operate normally in the 30 countries of the European Economic Area:

This list is intended as a general guide. For the most up-to-date information on any exchange, the primary source is always ESMA’s Interim MiCA Register, as described in this article.