France’s financial regulator just drew a line in the sand. The Autorité des Marchés Financiers, known as the AMF, has told crypto companies operating in the country that June 30, 2026 is the hard deadline to secure a full license under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, or pack up and leave.
AMF President Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani said at a press event on Thursday that firms failing to obtain authorization by that date must have “orderly wind-down plans” to offload customers and cease operations.
Most firms aren’t even trying
As of January 13, 2026, the AMF had identified approximately 90 unlicensed firms still operating under the old French PACTE framework from 2019. These companies were registered as Digital Asset Service Providers, a lighter regulatory category that France created before MiCA existed.
Of those 90 firms, roughly 30% hadn’t even bothered responding to the AMF’s repeated reminders about the upcoming deadline. Another 40% told the regulator outright that they don’t plan to seek MiCA authorization. That leaves just 30%, about 27 firms, that have either applied or expressed intent to do so.
The AMF has been unambiguous: the deadline will not be extended. Executive Director Stéphane Pontoizeau has echoed Barbat-Layani’s stance, making clear that this is not a negotiation.
The MiCA transition, explained
MiCA, the EU’s comprehensive crypto regulatory framework, entered full application on December 30, 2024. Stablecoin-specific rules kicked in even earlier, on June 30, 2024. France’s approach was to let firms that were already registered under the domestic PACTE law continue operating while they worked toward the new EU-wide standard. That grace period expires on June 30, 2026.
A handful of firms have already cleared the bar. Deblock, GOin, Bitstack, and CACEIS have all received their MiCA CASP licenses. France is also pushing for the European Securities and Markets Authority to take on a centralized supervisory role for MiCA enforcement across the EU.
What this means for investors
The AMF’s requirement for “orderly wind-down plans” is designed to prevent a chaotic scramble. Users holding assets on platforms that shut down should be paying close attention to withdrawal timelines and any restrictions that might emerge as firms wind down.