Through June, we’ve seen big changes in the world of stablecoins, thanks to the EU’s new Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). But how ready is the crypto market for MiCA’s wide-ranging rules?

Here’s what the data shows:

Stablecoins are the top use case for crypto assets. In 2023, on-chain transaction volume reached $10 trillion, with stablecoins making up 60% of that. Issuers now need a MiCA license for publicly offering or trading asset-referenced tokens (ARTs) or e-money tokens (EMTs) within the EU. The latest study conducted byAcuiti and commissioned by Eventus, however, reveals that 91% of crypto companies are not ready for this landmark regulation.

So, what’s really happening?

Many companies are rushing to comply with MiCA. While Binance has limited access to some stablecoins, Coinbase, Uphold and OKXhave completely delisted those that don’t meet the new standards. Meanwhile, Circle has become the first and and so far only big global stablecoin issuer to achieve MiCA compliance. CIrcle has received authorization as an e-money institution (EMI) from the French prudential regulator ACPR, allowing them to issue EURC and USDC through Circle France. Starting the first of July, EU customers can open Circle Mint Accounts to directly access and redeem USDC and EURC in a MiCA-compliant manner.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) is finalizing technical standards to guarantee high financial standards across the EU, even focusing on stablecoins pegged to the USD. This may impact issuers like Tether.io and Circle.

Other companies have found creative ways to comply. For instance, Swarm Markets in Berlin are tokenizing gold as NFTs, avoiding some MiCA regulations.

But MiCA has been stirring up trouble for some, with claims that regulations are too strict. Paxos, for example, launched its new stablecoin, Lift, outside the EU. Kraken and Crypto.com haven’t made significant changes yet, risking falling behind if they don’t meet the December deadline. Time’s ticking, and those who delay could find themselves in hot water.

At PixelPai, we’re completely cool-headed, because we’ve been anticipating these changes for a long time. We are in a process to become fully licensed under the new framework, so, if you need guidance on staying compliant, let’s chat. We’d love to discuss how we can support you with phase 2 nearing very soon.

Act now to avoid serious problems down the road.