CoinShares Makes History as First EU Asset Manager to Bag MiCA Approval

Europe's crypto landscape just got a seismic upgrade—CoinShares just bulldozed through regulatory red tape to become the continent's first MiCA-authorized asset manager. Traders, meet your new compliance overlords.

The MiCA stamp isn't just a rubber stamp—it's a golden ticket for institutional cash floods. While traditional finance still debates whether Bitcoin's a 'real asset,' CoinShares is busy building the on-ramps for the next bull run.

One cynical footnote? The same regulators who spent years dragging their feet on crypto frameworks are now racing to claim credit for 'consumer protection.' How very... European.

CoinShares has become the first continental European regulated asset manager to receive authorization under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) Regulation, positioning the firm as the only asset manager in the region with comprehensive regulatory coverage across traditional and digital assets, the asset manager announced in a statement today.

The authorization from France's Autorité des marchés financiers gives CoinShares' French subsidiary a rare triple regulatory license combination: AIFM for alternative investment fund management, MiFID for traditional financial instruments, and MiCA for crypto-asset services. This enables the firm to provide investment services across all asset classes throughout the EU's €33 trillion asset management market.

CoinShares currently operates with passported services in eight EU countries including France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, with the ability to extend across all member states.

Addressing Industry Regulatory Gaps

The MiCA authorization tackles what CoinShares identifies as a critical problem in European crypto management, where many platforms operate without proper licensing or organizational structure required for institutional-grade services.

"Receiving MiCA authorisation from the AMF is a pivotal milestone, not just for CoinShares, but for the entire European digital asset industry," said Jean-Marie Mognetti, co-founder and CEO. "For too long, asset managers operating in crypto have been confined to partial or improvised regulatory frameworks. With MiCA, we now have a clear, harmonised structure across the EU."

Mognetti emphasized the broader industry implications: "This authorisation sends a strong signal: crypto is here to stay and it belongs within a professional, transparent, and investor-centric regulatory environment."

Institutional Market Access

The comprehensive regulatory framework allows CoinShares to serve as a regulated counterparty for institutional investors requiring compliance with fiduciary standards, while maintaining proper separation between custody and management functions that many competitors lack.

CoinShares, founded in 2013 and publicly listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, manages over $9 billion in assets and operates under multiple jurisdictions including Jersey, France, and the United States. The MiCA authorization completes the firm's regulatory foundation across its key markets.

The development comes as European regulators implement MiCA as a harmonized framework for crypto-asset regulation, providing institutional investors with compliant pathways to digital asset exposure through regulated channels.