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France Warns Crypto Firms of Blacklisting Risk Under EU Licensing Rules

By  |  May 28, 2026
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France’s financial markets regulator has warned cryptocurrency companies that they could face blacklisting and legal action if they fail to secure authorization to operate in the European Union before the end of June, according to Reuters.

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    The warning comes as the EU completes the rollout of its landmark Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which introduces a unified regulatory framework for the crypto industry across the 27-member bloc. Under the rules, crypto firms must obtain a licence by June 30 in order to continue serving customers in the EU.

    European regulators have already cautioned that firms unable to secure approval should prepare “orderly wind-down plans,” per Reuters. The MiCA framework, agreed in 2023, is designed to bring greater oversight and consistency to the multi-trillion-dollar crypto sector in Europe, while the United States has recently moved in the opposite direction by loosening crypto regulation under President Donald Trump’s administration.

    “It’s becoming very, very urgent to finalise the licences applications,” Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani, president of France’s Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), told journalists on Thursday.

    Read more: UK Advances Comprehensive Regulatory Framework for Crypto Assets

    Barbat-Layani said companies that continue to target EU customers without authorization after the deadline would be added to blacklists and could face enforcement measures, including prosecution, according to Reuters.

    Under MiCA, crypto companies apply for licences through regulators in individual EU member states. Once approved, those licences can be used as a “passport” allowing firms to operate throughout the bloc.

    However, concerns have emerged over inconsistencies in how some countries are enforcing the new rules. Last year, several regulators questioned the pace of licence approvals in Malta, an issue that attracted scrutiny from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), per Reuters.

    Barbat-Layani also repeated France’s position that it may move to block the use of licences issued by other EU countries if French authorities disagree with how those approvals were granted. Reuters first reported that stance in September.

    Despite the warning, Barbat-Layani said such a scenario would not be desirable because it would amount to a “serious collective failure.”

    Source: Reuters