BNY Mellon’s Belgian unit and crypto payments company BitPay were among 15 new crypto-asset service providers added to the European Securities and Markets Authority’s MiCA register, expanding the list of firms authorised to operate under the European Union’s crypto regulatory framework.

ESMA Adds 15 CASPs to MiCA Register

The additions appeared on the ESMA MiCA register, the EU-wide list of firms authorised to provide crypto-asset services under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation.

The latest batch of 15 entries was reported by FinanceFeeds, which identified BNY Mellon’s Belgian unit and BitPay among the newly listed providers. BNY Mellon’s Belgian operation is also listed through the company’s local corporate presence at BNY Belgium.

BitPay separately confirmed its authorisation in a company post, stating that BitPay is MiCA authorised in Europe. The authorisation aligns the company’s crypto payments business with the EU licensing regime for crypto-asset service providers.

Traditional Finance and Crypto-Native Firms Appear in Same Update

Inclusion on the MiCA register is a key market-access milestone because it indicates that a firm has been authorised to provide crypto services under the EU’s single regulatory framework. Under MiCA, authorised crypto-asset service providers can passport eligible services across EU member states through one authorisation.

That passporting model is one of the main differences between MiCA and the fragmented national regimes that preceded it. MiCA sets common EU rules for crypto-asset service providers, including authorisation and conduct requirements, giving firms a clearer route to offering covered services across the bloc once they meet the relevant conditions.

The appearance of BNY Mellon’s Belgian unit is notable because it places a large traditional custody bank on the same register as crypto-native service providers. Rather than being only a routine update involving smaller market participants, the latest additions include a major banking institution with an established presence in custody and financial services.

BitPay’s inclusion extends the update from the payments side. The company is an established crypto payments processor, and its registration adds a crypto-native payments provider alongside a traditional finance name in the same ESMA update.

The combination shows that MiCA participation is extending across different types of market participants, including banks, payments firms and other crypto-asset service providers seeking authorisation under the EU framework.

Register Remains a Recurring Indicator of MiCA Authorisations

The ESMA register serves as the central reference point for tracking firms authorised under MiCA. Future updates to the register will show how quickly additional firms receive CASP authorisations and how the composition of authorised providers changes over time.

Areas to monitor include subsequent batches of CASP additions, the extent to which large financial institutions appear in future updates, competitive positioning between traditional finance firms and crypto-native providers, and the pace at which banks seek passportable authorisations under MiCA.

For now, the latest update adds 15 more names to the register, including two prominent entries: BNY Mellon’s Belgian unit and BitPay. Both are now identified among firms cleared to operate under the EU’s MiCA framework.