European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA): register, licences and requirements
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is the independent EU financial markets regulator in Paris. ESMA does not license fintechs or crypto firms directly; authorizations are granted by Member State national competent authorities. However, ESMA coordinates supervisory convergence and maintains the EU central register under MiCA, which lists 352 authorized crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) and 49 e-money token (EMT) issuers as of September 2026.
How to check a firm on the ESMA register
Search the central ESMA Databases and Registers portal at registers.esma.europa.eu by entity name, LEI, country code, or supervisory domain, or download the weekly republished Interim MiCA Register CSV datasets from esma.europa.eu. An active CASP entry displays the authorising NCA, home Member State, entity legal name and LEI, commercial trade name, registered seat address, web domain and platform URLs, authorization date, permitted crypto service codes (a through j), and passported host EU Member States.3
- Interim MiCA Register of Authorised Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs)3
- Interim MiCA Register of Non-Compliant Entities Providing Crypto-Asset Services3
- Interim MiCA Register of Electronic Money Token (EMT) Issuers and White Papers3
- Interim MiCA Register of Crypto-Asset White Papers other than ART and EMT3
- Interim MiCA Register of Asset-Referenced Token (ART) Issuers3
- ESMA Central Registries Database (Investment Firms, CRAs, TRs, DRSPs, Benchmarks, Crowdfunding)10
- ESMA Master Databases and Registers Directory10
At a glance
| Official name | European Securities and Markets Authority |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | European Union |
| Type | EU supervisory authority |
| Headquarters | Paris1 |
| Founded | 20112 |
| Website | esma.europa.eu2 |
| Public register | Official public register3 |
What ESMA supervises
ESMA operates as an independent European Union supervisory authority that protects the public interest by contributing to the stability and effectiveness of the financial system, safeguarding investors, and promoting orderly markets. It develops the EU Single Rulebook, enforces supervisory convergence among National Competent Authorities, maintains EU central registers under MiCA and ECSPR, and directly supervises EU critical market infrastructures including credit rating agencies and trade repositories.11
- Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs), EMT/ART issuers, and crypto white papers via EU central registers and supervisory convergence under MiCA3
- Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs) established in the EU (direct registration, ongoing supervision, and enforcement under Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009)4
- Trade Repositories (TRs) under EMIR (Regulation (EU) No 648/2012) and SFTR (Regulation (EU) 2015/2365)4
- Securitisation Repositories (SRs) under Securitisation Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/2402)4
- Data Reporting Services Providers (DRSPs - APAs and ARMs) not derogated to national authorities under MiFIR (Regulation (EU) No 600/2014)4
- Administrators of EU critical benchmarks and recognized third-country benchmark administrators under Benchmarks Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/1011)4
- External Reviewers of European Green Bonds under EU Green Bond Standard (Regulation (EU) 2023/2631)4
- Critical ICT third-party service providers (CTPPs) under DORA (Regulation (EU) 2022/2554) as Lead Overseer alongside EBA and EIOPA12
- Crowdfunding service providers under ECSPR (Regulation (EU) 2020/1503) through supervisory convergence and maintenance of the central EU register13
- Investment firms, multilateral trading facilities (MTFs), and organized trading facilities (OTFs) under MiFID II and MiFIR10
Lesser-known services for applicants
Pre-application meeting / pre-assessment
ESMA provides preliminary pre-application engagement for entities seeking direct registration or recognition (such as CRAs, TRs, DRSPs, and benchmark administrators). Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact ESMA prior to formal submission to present their business plans and organizational structure and obtain access credentials for ESMA's secured document-sharing system. ESMA does not charge for pre-application discussions and does not preview draft filings in an advisory capacity.4
Innovation hub
ESMA co-coordinates the European Forum for Innovation Facilitators (EFIF) via the Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (with EBA and EIOPA) and supports the EU Digital Finance Platform. EFIF acts as a cross-border platform connecting national innovation hubs and sandboxes to promote supervisory convergence, joint testing, and perimeter guidance without ESMA operating a standalone direct retail innovation desk.5
Regulatory sandbox
Under the EU DLT Pilot Regime (Regulation (EU) 2022/858, in application since 23 March 2023), ESMA coordinates the statutory testing environment allowing eligible investment firms, market operators, and CSDs to operate DLT multilateral trading facilities and settlement systems with temporary exemptions from specific MiFID II/CSDR provisions; ESMA provides cross-border convergence, issues guidelines, renders non-binding opinions on national permissions, and maintains the central public register of DLT market infrastructures.6
Application portal: ESMA Registers Portal (registers.esma.europa.eu) for public register queries and machine-to-machine APIs; applications for direct supervisory registration are lodged via ESMA's secured document-sharing system.7
Fee schedule: Commission Delegated Regulations specify fees for ESMA directly supervised entities (e.g. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/805 for benchmark administrators, No 272/2012 for CRAs, No 1003/2013 for TRs, (EU) 2022/930 for DRSPs, and (EU) 2024/1703 for SRs); CASPs and crowdfunding platforms are licensed by NCAs and pay no fees to ESMA.8
Compare with other regulators: pre-application meetings · sandboxes and innovation hubs.
Statistics
- 352 authorised crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) registered across 26 EU/EEA Member States (interim MiCA register, 2026-09-24)14
- 174 non-compliant entities providing crypto-asset services without authorisation flagged on the central warning register (interim MiCA register, 2026-09-24)15
- 49 electronic money token (EMT) white papers and issuers notified across the EU (interim MiCA register, 2026-09-24)16
- 998 crypto-asset white papers for tokens other than asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens published under Title II of MiCA (interim MiCA register, 2026-09-24)17
- 0 asset-referenced token (ART) issuers registered under Title III of MiCA as of September 2026 (interim MiCA register, 2026-09-24)18
- 358 staff members employed across ESMA supervisory, policy, and market data divisions (annual reporting, 2024)2
Fees and timelines
| Licence | Fee | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto-Asset Service Provider central register entry under MiCA (Article 63 / Article 109; licensing conducted by Member State NCAs) | application | EUR 0 (ESMA charges no application fees to CASPs; licensing is conducted exclusively by Member State NCAs under MiCA Article 63, which levy national statutory fees)3 |
| Crypto-Asset Service Provider central register entry under MiCA (Article 63 / Article 109; licensing conducted by Member State NCAs) | annual | EUR 0 (Supervisory levies for CASPs are collected exclusively by home Member State NCAs; ESMA collects no annual fee from national CASP licensees)3 |
| Electronic Money Token (EMT) issuer register entry under MiCA (Article 109; issued by credit institutions or authorised EMIs) | application | EUR 0 (EMT and ART issuers are authorised or supervised by national central banks or NCAs under MiCA Titles III and IV; ESMA levies no central registration fee)3 |
| Electronic Money Token (EMT) issuer register entry under MiCA (Article 109; issued by credit institutions or authorised EMIs) | annual | EUR 0 (Ongoing supervision is conducted by NCAs or EBA for significant tokens; ESMA charges no ongoing supervisory fee to EMT or ART issuers)3 |
| Licence | Statutory deadline | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto-Asset Service Provider central register entry under MiCA (Article 63 / Article 109; licensing conducted by Member State NCAs) | 40 working days from receipt of a complete application for NCA decision under MiCA Article 63(7); 25 working days completeness review; immediate notification to ESMA upon grant9 | 6 to 12 months in practice across Member State NCAs due to pre-application vetting and multiple deficiency review rounds prior to official transmission to the ESMA register3 |
| Electronic Money Token (EMT) issuer register entry under MiCA (Article 109; issued by credit institutions or authorised EMIs) | Under MiCA Title III, ART authorisation requires 25 working days completeness assessment, 60 working days draft evaluation, and ECB opinion within 20 working days; Title IV EMTs require bank or EMI licensing (3 months statutory under PSD2/EMD2)9 | not published |
Changing the owner of a licensed firm
Prior notification with an objection period. Under MiCA Article 83, any natural or legal person proposing to acquire or increase a qualifying holding in a CASP reaching or exceeding 20%, 30%, or 50% of voting rights or capital, or making it a subsidiary, must give prior written notification to the home NCA. Disposals reducing holdings below 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% also require prior written notification. The NCA has 60 working days from written acknowledgement of receipt (issued within 2 working days) to assess the acquisition, interruptible once by up to 20 working days for additional information (or 30 working days if the acquirer is outside the EU). If the NCA does not oppose the acquisition before the expiry of the assessment period, the proposed acquisition is deemed approved under Article 83(8).9
Laws ESMA applies
- Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation: Regulation (EU) 2023/1114
- Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments: Directive 2014/65/EU
- Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments and amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012: Regulation (EU) No 600/2014
- Digital Operational Resilience Act: Regulation (EU) 2022/2554
- European Crowdfunding Service Providers Regulation: Regulation (EU) 2020/1503
Recent and upcoming changes
- 2026-09-16: ESMA updated and republished the Interim MiCA Register across all five datasets, recording 352 authorised CASPs, 174 non-compliant entities, 49 EMT white papers, 0 ART issuers, and 998 crypto-asset white papers.3
- 2026-07-01: Expiry of the Article 143(3) MiCA grandfathering transitional window across major EU Member States, requiring all active crypto service providers to hold full MiCA authorization or cease operations.3
- 2025-01-17: EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA, Regulation (EU) 2022/2554) took effect across the financial sector, establishing ESMA as Lead Overseer alongside EBA and EIOPA for Critical ICT third-party service providers (CTPPs).19
- 2024-12-30: Full commencement of MiCA Title V (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114), establishing unified EU-wide CASP authorization, passporting, market abuse prohibitions, and the ESMA central registers.9
- 2024-12-21: Entry into application of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 on European Green Bonds, assigning ESMA direct registration and supervisory competence over External Reviewers of European Green Bonds.4
Contacts and public register
Address: ESMA, 201-203 rue de Bercy, CS 80910, 75589 Paris Cedex 12, France1
Website: esma.europa.eu2
Check whether a firm is licensed: official register3 · official register3 · official register3 · official register3 · official register3 · official register10 · official register10.
Frequently asked questions
Does ESMA directly issue crypto-asset service provider (CASP) licences under MiCA?
No. Under the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), direct licensing and ongoing supervision of CASPs are strictly carried out by National Competent Authorities (NCAs) in each EU Member State (such as BaFin in Germany or AMF in France). ESMA does not license CASPs directly; it establishes single technical standards, promotes supervisory convergence, and maintains the centralized EU public register of all 352 authorized CASPs.
How can I verify if a crypto firm or CASP is legitimate and authorised in the EU?
You can verify any CASP through ESMA's official Interim MiCA Register, published weekly as open CSV datasets on ESMA's portal. The register discloses each firm's home Member State, authorising NCA, Legal Entity Identifier (LEI), website URLs, and permitted services (such as custody or exchange). In addition, ESMA publishes a blacklist of non-compliant entities operating without authorization (listing 174 unauthorized entities as of September 2026).
What entities does ESMA supervise directly instead of national authorities?
ESMA directly registers and supervises EU critical market infrastructure providers rather than commercial banks or fintechs. Direct supervisory remits include Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs), Trade Repositories (TRs) under EMIR and SFTR, Securitisation Repositories (SRs), non-derogated Data Reporting Services Providers (DRSPs/APAs/ARMs), critical benchmark administrators, external reviewers of European Green Bonds, and critical ICT third-party providers (CTPPs) under DORA alongside the EBA and EIOPA.
What is the EU DLT Pilot Regime and does ESMA run a regulatory sandbox?
Under Regulation (EU) 2022/858, the EU DLT Pilot Regime functions as a statutory regulatory sandbox for market infrastructures using distributed ledger technology. While national competent authorities grant specific permissions and exemptions from MiFID II or CSDR requirements to operate DLT trading facilities and settlement systems, ESMA oversees cross-border coordination, issues supervisory guidelines, evaluates national approvals, and maintains the public register of DLT market infrastructures.
What fees does ESMA charge to fintech and crypto market participants?
None for CASPs, payment firms or crowdfunding platforms: they are authorised by national competent authorities, which charge the application and supervisory fees. ESMA charges fees only to the entities it supervises directly, such as credit rating agencies, trade repositories, critical benchmark administrators and data reporting services providers, at rates set by Commission delegated regulations.
Sources
- esma.europa.eu: esma contact information · retrieved 2026-09-24
- en.wikipedia.org: European Securities and Markets Authority · secondary · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: markets crypto assets regulation mica · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: ESMA80 1286971524 881 Registration Guide (PDF) · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: digital finance and innovation · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: dlt pilot regime · retrieved 2026-09-24
- registers.esma.europa.eu: searchRegister · retrieved 2026-09-24
- eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32022R0805) · retrieved 2026-09-24
- eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32023R1114) · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: databases and registers · retrieved 2026-09-24
- eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32010R1095) · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: registration with ESMA · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: investment services and crowdfunding · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: CASPS.csv · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: NCASP.csv · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: EMTWP.csv · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: OTHER.csv · retrieved 2026-09-24
- esma.europa.eu: ARTZZ.csv · retrieved 2026-09-24
- eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32022R2554) · retrieved 2026-09-24
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