MiCA Crypto Alliance Launches Searchable Tracker for ESMA Crypto Authorisations

The MiCA Crypto Alliance launched a new tool on Aug. 5 that turns ESMA’s public authorisation data into a user-friendly, searchable directory for crypto users, businesses and compliance teams. What the MiCA CASP Tracker does - Converts the European Securities and Markets Authority’s (ESMA) Markets in Crypto‑Assets register into a searchable database. - Lets users look up whether a firm appears in ESMA’s interim MiCA register and which services it’s authorised to provide. - Displays key profile details: company name, Legal Entity Identifier (LEI), home country, national regulator, authorisation date and the categories of services approved. Search and comparison features - Adds filters by company, country, national regulator or authorised service, plus side‑by‑side comparisons. - Makes it easy to tell, for example, whether a provider is authorised only for custody or also for operating a trading platform, executing client orders or exchanging assets. What’s covered under MiCA MiCA defines ten regulated crypto‑asset services: - custody - trading platform operation - crypto-to-fiat exchange - crypto-to-crypto exchange - order execution - token placement - order transmission - advice - portfolio management - asset transfers Important caveats - A listing in the register does not mean every product a firm offers falls under MiCA. ESMA has clarified that crypto lending and borrowing are not included in MiCA’s service list. - The tracker excludes firms that operate solely under other regimes (for example, entities handling financial instruments under MiFID). - The MiCA Crypto Alliance stresses the tracker is an independent research tool built from publicly available ESMA data; ESMA’s register remains the authoritative source. Timing and regulatory context - The tool arrives after MiCA’s main transition period ended on July 1. ESMA instructed unauthorised providers to stop onboarding new EU clients, opening accounts or marketing covered services; firms that are winding down may only act to transfer assets or close positions. - ESMA has told consumers to verify providers through its official register because customers of unauthorised platforms do not receive MiCA protections for client assets. - Licensing activity has continued since the deadline: a late‑July ESMA update added BNY’s Belgian unit and 14 other providers, including banks, payment firms and crypto businesses. Why users should still check ESMA and national regulators - ESMA publishes an interim MiCA register as downloadable files (the latest file was dated July 31) and republishes the data weekly when national authorities report updates. - Because ESMA’s register can lag national records or retain withdrawn authorisations while showing effective end dates, users should confirm current authorisation status and exact approved services with ESMA and the relevant national competent authority. Bottom line The MiCA CASP Tracker provides a faster, easier starting point for verifying whether a crypto firm is authorised under MiCA and what it can legally do — but it’s not a substitute for the official ESMA register and national regulator checks. The tracker’s real test will be how quickly it reflects ESMA’s weekly updates, licence withdrawals and service‑level changes.