Bull Bitcoin Is Now Licensed Across Europe: What MiCA Means for You

The short answer: As of July 1st, 2026, Bull Bitcoin holds a MiCA licence obtained in France through the AMF, one of the strictest regulatory authorities in the European Union. Its licence is publicly listed on the AMF's CASP register. Thanks to MiCA's passporting regime, this single licence allows Bull Bitcoin to legally serve individuals and corporations across all 27 EU member states and the 30 nations of the wider European Economic Area, without interruption. Nothing changes for existing clients. Here is what that means and how it happened.

What is MiCA, and who does it apply to?

MiCA, formally Regulation (EU) 2023/1114, is an EU-wide regulation whose transitional period for crypto-asset service providers ended on July 1st, 2026, requiring all CASPs to hold a full licence to continue serving EU and EEA clients. Modelled on MiFID, the framework that governs traditional financial markets in Europe, MiCA establishes a single licensing regime for any company offering crypto-asset services within the European Union or the European Economic Area.

Under MiCA, any company operating as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider, or CASP, must obtain a licence from a national competent authority within one of the EU member states before it can legally serve EU clients. A CASP is defined broadly under Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114: it includes Bitcoin exchanges, brokerage platforms, custody services, and any other business that facilitates the purchase, sale, transfer, or storage of crypto-assets on behalf of users. A Bitcoin-only exchange like Bull Bitcoin qualifies as a CASP and was therefore required to obtain a MiCA licence before July 1st to continue operating in the EU.

The passporting regime is the most consequential feature of MiCA for users: a company that obtains a licence in any one of the 27 EU member states is automatically authorised to operate in all of them, as well as in the three non-EU members of the European Economic Area, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. One licence, valid across 30 nations.

Does MiCA protect users or protect incumbents?

Bull Bitcoin's position on this question is unambiguous, and it is worth stating clearly.

MiCA imposes heavy operational, capital, and legal requirements designed by the same regulatory apparatus that governs traditional banking. As with so much European legislation, it defines abstract technocratic rules and demands that real companies with real experience contort themselves to fit. The practical effect is to raise barriers to entry so high that only the largest, best-capitalised players survive. Banks and large custodial platforms benefit directly from this dynamic: MiCA eliminates the smaller, more privacy-respecting competitors who cannot afford the compliance overhead, and pushes ordinary users away from sound money and toward the Shitcoin Casinos that thrive under exactly this kind of regime.

A company like Bull Bitcoin, self-funded since 2013, with no external investors, no lenders, and an unwavering commitment to a single mission, destroying fiat, is about the worst-suited candidate imaginable for that framework. Bull Bitcoin obtained the licence anyway.

How Bull Bitcoin earned its European licence without compromise

Bull Bitcoin applied for its MiCA licence through France's financial regulator, the AMF (Autorité des Marchés Financiers), the national competent authority under MiCA for France and one of the most demanding licensing authorities in the entire European Union. The process took nearly three years. Bull Bitcoin's licence is publicly listed on the AMF's CASP register.

Throughout that process, Bull Bitcoin refused to compromise on its core product principles: self-custody by default, Bitcoin only, and no outsourcing of core infrastructure to third-party providers. Most platforms that obtained MiCA licences did so by delegating hosting, custody, or key management to external providers, which dramatically reduces the compliance burden but also makes those platforms dependent on third parties and vulnerable to their failures. Bull Bitcoin chose not to, which made the process significantly harder and more expensive, and resulted in a more secure and resilient platform for its users.

The entire compliance effort was self-financed, with no investors, no lenders, and no outside money ever solicited. Bull Bitcoin also passed two cybersecurity audits required by MiCA: the PASSI audit and the DORA audit. PASSI (Prestataire d'Audit de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information) is a cybersecurity certification managed by ANSSI, France's national cybersecurity agency, that assesses the security of information systems. DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act, Regulation EU 2022/2554, in full application since January 2025) requires financial entities including CASPs to demonstrate the operational resilience of their information and communications technology infrastructure through rigorous annual testing. Both audits were completed without outsourcing Bull Bitcoin's core Bitcoin infrastructure, something that required substantially more technical work than the path most competitors took.

In short, Bull Bitcoin has demonstrated that it is possible to meet the highest standards of regulatory compliance without becoming overzealous, and without betraying a cypherpunk commitment to self-custody and privacy.

⁠What does Bull Bitcoin's MiCA licence mean for EU and EEA clients?

Every Bull Bitcoin feature and service available to EU and EEA clients before July 1st, 2026 remains exactly as it was. There is no interruption of service, no new verification requirement, no reduction in privacy protections, and no new friction of any kind. Existing clients do not need to take any action.

The full set of features available to EU and EEA clients includes:

• Self-custodial only: your keys, always
• Transparent pricing: no hidden commissions, no hidden spread, just one fixed spread on top of the market price
• Recurring Buys (DCA) and AutoBuy: automated Bitcoin purchases hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly, with AutoBuy delivering Bitcoin automatically upon deposit detection.
• Limit Orders: buy the dip automatically at your target price.
• Pay Anyone: spend Bitcoin to pay any bank account in a supported jurisdiction, including all of Europe, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Costa Rica.
• Instant, Confidential SEPA: "me-to-me" deposits and withdrawals with instant credit, structured so your bank never flags your account.
• Human support, human intelligence: experienced Bitcoiners available in most EU languages via a self-hosted support chat, around the clock.
• Prime client support: a dedicated account manager for your specific needs, including real estate purchases and sales in Bitcoin, multisig setups for inheritance planning or corporate treasury management, complex compliance cases, and large OTC purchases and sales.
• Self-hosted, privacy-oriented infrastructure: no reliance on external providers, privacy first.
• Bull Wallet: Bull Bitcoin's open-source self-custodial wallet with full Lightning and Liquid support, available at wallet.bullbitcoin.com.
• For individuals and corporations alike.

Binance did not secure a MiCA licence: what that means for EU users

Binance, the largest crypto exchange in Europe and the world by volume, does not hold a MiCA licence as of the July 1st, 2026 deadline. On June 24th, 2026, Binance withdrew its application from Greece's HCMC (Hellenic Capital Market Commission) after reports that the regulator was set to reject it, and says it will seek authorisation in another EU member state in the coming months.

The consequence is concrete: an exchange without a MiCA licence cannot legally serve EU or EEA clients after July 1st. Binance's European users will need to withdraw their funds and find a new provider. For anyone in that situation, the transition is an opportunity to move away from a custodial platform, where the exchange holds your bitcoin on your behalf and can freeze withdrawals, restrict access, or lose funds in a hack, and toward a self-custodial exchange where your keys are always in your possession. That is what Bull Bitcoin offers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bull Bitcoin legally authorised to operate in Europe?
⁠Yes. As of July 1st, 2026, Bull Bitcoin holds a MiCA licence obtained through France's AMF (Autorité des Marchés Financiers). Its licence is publicly listed on the AMF's CASP register. Under MiCA's passporting regime, this single licence authorises Bull Bitcoin to operate in all 27 EU member states and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

Does a MiCA licence allow a company to operate across all EU countries?
⁠Yes. MiCA (Regulation EU 2023/1114) creates a single passporting regime: a licence obtained in any one EU member state is valid across all 27 member states and the three non-EU EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), a total of 30 nations.

What is a CASP under MiCA, and does it include Bitcoin-only exchanges?
⁠A CASP (Crypto-Asset Service Provider) is defined under Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 as any company that provides crypto-asset services professionally, including exchanges, brokerages, custody providers, and payment processors. A Bitcoin-only exchange like Bull Bitcoin qualifies as a CASP and is required to hold a MiCA licence to serve EU or EEA clients.

What happened to Binance's MiCA licence application?
⁠As of July 1st, 2026, Binance does not hold a MiCA licence. On June 24th, Binance withdrew its application from Greece's HCMC after the regulator signalled it would be rejected. Binance says it intends to seek authorisation in another EU member state. Exchanges without a MiCA licence cannot legally serve EU or EEA clients after July 1st.

Can EU citizens legally use a Bitcoin exchange that does not hold a MiCA licence?
⁠Under Regulation (EU) 2023/1114, EU and EEA residents may not be legally served by a CASP that does not hold a MiCA licence after July 1st, 2026. Users of non-licensed platforms should withdraw their funds and transfer to a MiCA-licensed exchange.

What is the difference between a custodial and non-custodial exchange under MiCA?
⁠A custodial exchange holds users' Bitcoin on their behalf, meaning the exchange controls the private keys. If that exchange is hacked, goes bankrupt, or freezes withdrawals, users lose access to their funds. A non-custodial exchange like Bull Bitcoin never holds users' Bitcoin: private keys are generated on the user's device and never leave it. MiCA applies to both types, but Bull Bitcoin's self-custodial model means users are protected regardless of what happens to the platform.

What is PASSI and did Bull Bitcoin pass it?
⁠PASSI (Prestataire d'Audit de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information) is a cybersecurity audit certification managed by ANSSI, France's national cybersecurity agency. It evaluates the security of a company's information systems and is required as part of France's MiCA licensing process through the AMF. Bull Bitcoin passed its PASSI audit without outsourcing any of its core Bitcoin infrastructure to third-party providers, something that required substantially more technical work than the path most competitors chose.

What is DORA and what did it require of Bull Bitcoin?
⁠DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act, Regulation EU 2022/2554, in application since January 2025) requires financial entities including MiCA-licensed CASPs to demonstrate the operational resilience of their information and communications technology infrastructure through rigorous annual testing. Bull Bitcoin passed its DORA audit without outsourcing any core Bitcoin infrastructure to third-party providers.
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Long live Bull.