Crypto Market Update: Binance Suspends EU Operations After MiCA License Rejection

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Today's crypto news to know

Here's a breakdown of today’s biggest news in the crypto and blockchain markets, including:

• Binance suspends EU operations over MiCA licensing failure
• CCN: MiCA disqualifies 83 percent of registered European crypto platforms
• SBI Holdings to create Japan's largest crypto exchange

Binance suspends EU operations over MiCA licensing failure

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has notified users across the EU that it is suspending certain operations after failing to secure its Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license ahead of the compliance deadline.

The world's largest exchange by trading volume reportedly emailed customers and said it can no longer accept new registrations and will heavily restrict active services in prominent EU nations including France, Italy, Poland, and Spain.

Although Binance assured clients that their existing assets remain secure and accessible, the abrupt operational halt comes just one day after the company withdrew its license application in Greece.

Despite the major setback, Binance management stated that its plans in Europe remain unchanged, expressing confidence that a passportable MiCA license will be secured in the coming months. Insiders report that the exchange now intends to shift its regulatory focus toward securing approval in France.

However, European market watchdogs are pushing back aggressively. Spain’s National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) has explicitly ruled out any regulatory extensions or waivers for unlicensed platforms. CNMV Chair Carlos San Basilio emphasized that there will be absolutely no exceptions to the June 30 cutoff, adding that regulators are currently monitoring how these unauthorized platforms transfer client assets and cash to compliant providers.

Under the impending framework, European investors will be entirely barred from executing new transactions on unlicensed platforms and will forfeit all MiCA consumer protections if they attempt to do so.

CCN: MiCA disqualifies 83 percent of registered European crypto platforms

A report by CCN reveals that only 17 percent of previously registered crypto firms have successfully achieved full authorization under the new MiCA framework.

Out of more than 1,200 entities that held varying national registrations across the 27-member bloc, roughly 210 companies managed to clear the rigorous new regulatory hurdles.

The analysis noted that the transition exposed a gap between operational permissions and institutional infrastructure, as past Virtual Asset Service Provider regimes varied wildly by jurisdiction.

For instance, Estonia's loose regulatory climate historically enabled 641 active crypto licenses in 2021, but that number plummeted down to just 40 by early 2025 as regulators tightened standards ahead of MiCA's arrival. Compliance leaders reveal that many failing firms mistakenly treated MiCA as a minor filing exercise.

Under the stricter new regulations, firms are required to adhere to strict proof of internal asset controls, defined risk ownership, and operational transparency during active compliance breaches.

SBI Holdings to create Japan's largest crypto exchange

Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings (TSE:8473,OTCPL:SBHGF announced it has finalized an agreement to acquire Tokyo-based crypto exchange Bitbank in a transaction valued at approximately US$289 million.

Upon successful completion of the deal, Bitbank will transition into a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI, creating the single largest crypto exchange in Japan by assets under custody.

Under the terms of the transaction, an SBI subsidiary will initially purchase outstanding shares from individual holders before subscribing to a newly issued tranche of Bitbank equity. Bitbank will then utilize the incoming capital proceeds to systematically repurchase and cancel the remaining corporate stakes held by both Ceres and MIXI.

The buyout is scheduled to close around October, pending formal regulatory clearance from Japan's Fair Trade Commission. SBI plans to merge Bitbank's compliance and security protocols into its existing crypto operations, which are currently anchored by its subsidiary SBI VC Trade.

The combined operational entity will oversee an estimated 1.1 trillion yen in assets under custody and service roughly 2.92 million active user accounts across the country.