Blockchain.com, one of the world’s longest-running crypto platforms, has obtained a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) licence from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA).
The licence authorises Blockchain.com to offer a full suite of digital asset services, including custody, brokerage, and wallet solutions, across all 27 European Economic Area (EEA) countries under a single regulatory framework.
A Blockchain.com spokesperson said that Malta offers “the right combination of regulatory transparency, institutional expertise, and strategic access to the European Economic Area,” adding that it will serve as the center of the company’s European operations.
Blockchain.com’s move to Malta comes amid the full implementation of MiCA, the EU’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets, which took effect in late 2024. The legislation allows crypto companies authorised in one EU member state to “passport” their services across the entire bloc.
The company’s shift aligns with a broader strategic reorientation away from centralised exchange trading and toward brokerage, institutional infrastructure, and self-custody wallets, areas the company considers essential to the next phase of crypto adoption.
Malta has become a key entry point into the EU for major crypto firms, with OKX, the world’s third-largest exchange, setting up operations in July 2024, followed by Crypto.com.
However, the island’s popularity has reignited debates over regulatory consistency within the EU.
A recent review by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) acknowledged the MFSA’s solid expertise but noted that some material issues “were not fully resolved” and that “some risk areas were not adequately assessed.”
The MFSA voiced its opposition to proposals for centralising the supervision of key Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs) at EU level, arguing that the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) Regulation has only been in force for nine months – too soon, it says, to properly assess its impact.
Despite this scrutiny, Malta continues to attract major players who cite the country’s blend of regulatory transparency and pragmatic supervision as a decisive advantage.
As the company eyes further regulatory developments in the UK, Singapore, Latin America and the Middle East, it has not ruled out a potential US public listing in the future.
