Standard Chartered, FalconX among 37 firms added to ESMA's MiCA register

Europe's securities watchdog ESMA has expanded its MiCA register, adding 37 cryptoasset service providers after the EU's transitional period expired on July 1. The update lifts the number of authorized firms to 280, up from 243 on June 26. The newly listed firms include Standard Chartered, FalconX, Sygnum Europe and Ronin EM. ESMA's register is the central directory under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), which sets a single framework for exchanges, custodians, trading platforms, issuers and other crypto firms operating across the bloc. With the grace period now over, companies that have not secured MiCA authorization must stop onboarding new EU clients and, where required, begin winding down services. By country, Germany leads the register with 57 licensed providers. France has 31 and the Netherlands 26. Malta and Cyprus each count 20 registered providers. Standard Chartered cleared MiCA through its Luxembourg entity and also obtained an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license from Luxembourg's regulator, the CSSF. The approvals allow the bank to scale crypto custody and related services across the EU via MiCA's passporting regime, subject to additional local steps where applicable. Standard Chartered set up its Luxembourg entity in 2025 to support its EU digital-asset custody strategy and previously operated under Luxembourg's national virtual asset service provider framework. Laurent Marochini, CEO of Standard Chartered Luxembourg, said the MiCA and EMI licences will allow the bank to progressively expand services to clients across Europe, with rollout dependent on regulatory processes and client demand. FalconX secured authorization ahead of the July 1 deadline via Malta's financial regulator, the MFSA. Sygnum Europe entered the register as the digital asset bank continues building out its regulated footprint in Europe. Ronin EM was also included in the latest ESMA update. ESMA's update also covered electronic money token issuers. CACEIS, the asset-servicing arm linked to Crédit Agricole and Santander, was added after launching EURXT, a euro-pegged token issued on Ethereum. EURXT debuted with about 20.02 million tokens in circulation and is backed 1:1 by euro reserves held by CACEIS Bank, targeting institutional settlement use cases and access to tokenized funds. Separately, ESMA published guidance on prediction markets, cautioning that some event-based contracts may fall under existing EU rules for binary options. ESMA did not introduce new rules, but said firms and national authorities should assess products case by case to determine whether they qualify as financial instruments under MiFID II. If a prediction market contract is deemed a financial instrument, the EU's retail ban on binary options may apply. The comments come as offshore platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket draw closer scrutiny in parts of Europe. Spain temporarily banned Kalshi and Polymarket in May for lacking gambling licences, and regulators in several European countries issued warnings about unlicensed platforms ahead of the FIFA World Cup.