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France’s financial regulator has warned crypto companies that they must secure authorization under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation by June 30 or stop serving customers from France under the country’s transition regime.
AMF President Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani said firms that continue actively targeting EU customers without authorization after the deadline could be blacklisted and face enforcement action, including prosecution.
July 1 Ends France’s Crypto Transition Regime
Under MiCA, crypto-asset service providers need approval from a national regulator to operate across the European Union. That authorization can then be used as a passport across the bloc.
In France, the transition period for firms already registered under the older domestic regime ends on June 30, 2026. From July 1, those firms need MiCA authorization to keep providing covered services legally.
The deadline turns MiCA compliance from a planning issue into an operating requirement for firms still serving French users.
90 Firms Were Still Without MiCA Approval
The AMF has already told unlicensed crypto firms to prepare orderly wind-down plans if they do not expect to secure authorisation in time. Earlier this year, the regulator said France had about 90 crypto firms without a MiCA license.
Roughly 30% had applied, 40% were not seeking authorization and 30% had not responded to the AMF’s request for their plans. That response gap has become a concern for the regulator as the transition period nears its end.
France May Challenge Loose EU Licenses
The warning also reflects a broader European fight over how strictly MiCA should be applied. Barbat-Layani said France would be prepared to challenge the passporting of licenses granted by other EU countries if it believes those approvals were handled too loosely.
That stance is tied to earlier French concern over faster licensing in jurisdictions such as Malta. The issue matters because MiCA creates a single-market passport. A license granted in one EU country can give a crypto firm access across the bloc, which makes national supervisory standards politically sensitive.
June 30 Becomes MiCA Enforcement Line
The immediate message to crypto firms is direct. By July 1, companies serving France under the old regime need a MiCA license, a wind-down plan or an exit from the market.
The June 30 deadline is no longer just a compliance milestone. For firms still targeting French users without authorization, it is now an enforcement line.
