Full List of Crypto Exchanges Banned in Europe After MiCA (2026)

On 1 July 2026, the EU's MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) transitional period ended. Any exchange without a CASP (Crypto-Asset Service Provider) authorization as of that date is operating in breach of EU law if it continues to serve European clients. Several major platforms missed the deadline entirely.

Why Exchanges Are Being Banned in Europe

MiCA introduced a single, EU-wide licensing framework for crypto service providers. Before it, each member state ran its own rules. Germany required BaFin approval; France had its own PSAN registration; smaller states had lighter-touch regimes. MiCA replaced that patchwork with a single CASP authorization that passes across all 27 EU member states.

The transitional period gave existing operators time to apply. It ended on 1 July 2026. From that date, any exchange offering spot trading, custody, fiat conversion, or staking products to EU residents must hold a valid CASP license from a national competent authority. The EU MiCA regime is intended to introduce more consistent rules across EU member states, and licensed exchanges must perform identity verification and anti-money-laundering checks as part of that framework.

Only a fraction of the 1,200+ firms that were active in Europe secured authorization in time. The result: a wave of service suspensions, restricted accounts, and exit announcements from platforms that had served European users for years.

Major Exchanges Without MiCA Authorization

The table below reflects statuses as of July 2026, based on ESMA's CASP register and individual exchange announcements. Statuses can change if an exchange secures authorization or formally exits.

Binance in detail

Binance, the largest exchange by trading volume, is the only one to miss the deadline. It withdrew its Greek MiCA license application on 24 June 2026, leaving it without any CASP license when the transitional period closed. From 1 July 2026, Binance halted new spot orders, deposits, new sign-ups, and Earn and staking products for EU users. Withdrawals were kept accessible. Binance notified clients in France, Italy, Spain, Poland, and other EU states that crypto-asset services would be suspended due to a lack of MiCA approval. ESMA confirms that after 1 July 2026, any exchange without MiCA CASP authorization will be in breach of EU law if it continues to serve EU clients.

MEXC in detail

MEXC holds no MiCA CASP authorization and is not on the ESMA register as of July 2026. The platform notified EEA users of service changes after the transitional period ended, resulting in restricted or withdrawn access for EU and EEA users.

Bitget in detail

Bitget applied for a MiCA license in Austria in 2025 and projected a regulatory decision for Q2 2026. It stated it would refrain from offering services in the European Economic Area until authorized. EU and EEA users cannot legally access Bitget's services until a CASP license is granted.

Exchanges With Partial or Complicated Status

Not every exchange falls cleanly into "licensed" or "banned." Some have authorization with specific restrictions attached.

KuCoin EU holds an Austrian MiCAR/CASP license that has been fully valid since its grant in November 2025. KuCoin is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, for its EU entity. The regulated offering is available in 29 European Economic Area (EEA) countries, but not in Malta.

Here's what that means for users: KuCoin's EU-licensed entity is legal and accessible in most EEA countries, but the global KuCoin platform and the EU entity are separate products with different features and restrictions. Users should confirm they are on the EU-licensed version before assuming full MiCA protection applies.

Gate.io does not have a confirmed CASP authorization on the ESMA register as of July 2026. Its EU access status should be verified directly against the ESMA register before use.

What Happens If You Are Still Using an Unlicensed Exchange

The short answer: your funds may still be there, but your protections are gone. Custodial storage means leaving funds with an exchange or service that controls the private keys. This exposes users to counterparty risks, including hacks, bankruptcy, regulatory freezes, and exit fraud. A platform without regulatory oversight can increase the risk of loss, seizure, or poor recourse.

Under MiCA, the legal obligations fall on the exchange, not on individual users. Using an unlicensed platform is not itself a criminal offense for EU residents. But you lose the consumer protections MiCA was designed to provide: segregated funds, compensation rights, and a formal complaint escalation route if the platform fails.

Practically, the risks look like this:

• Account restrictions can appear without notice. An unlicensed exchange can freeze deposits, withdrawals, or both at any point to comply with national regulator demands.
• Funds left on an exchange can be affected by hacks, technical failures, insolvency, or regulatory restrictions on withdrawals.
• There is no MiCA-mandated compensation scheme for users of unlicensed platforms.

After restrictions or service suspension, users are generally allowed to withdraw but cannot place new orders or deposits. Unlicensed firms are expected to guide EU clients to withdraw, sell positions, or move assets to licensed platforms or self-custody. If your exchange is in the table above, the time to act is now, not when a withdrawal freeze appears.

How to Protect Your Crypto Right Now

Two practical paths exist for EU users whose exchange is unlicensed or restricted.

Option 1: Move to Self-Custody

Self-custody means holding crypto in a wallet where you, rather than an exchange or intermediary, control the private keys. Transactions are signed locally and broadcast to the blockchain. No exchange can freeze, restrict, or lose your funds on your behalf.

A hardware wallet generates and stores private keys offline, signs transactions internally, and returns only the signed transaction for broadcasting. The private key never touches an internet-connected device.

Tangem Wallet is a self-custodial hardware wallet built around an NFC-enabled card. The private key is generated inside a Samsung S3D350A secure-element chip certified at Common Criteria EAL6+, and it never leaves the chip. Setup takes one to three minutes, and no account registration or KYC is required for basic wallet use. The two-card set costs $54.90 as a one-time purchase. Tangem supports 16,000+ cryptocurrencies across 91+ blockchain networks, so most assets held on a banned exchange can be received directly.

To move funds, you generate a receiving address in the Tangem app, then initiate a withdrawal from your exchange to that address. The Tangem app supports QR-code scanning and memo/destination tags for exchange transfers.

One honest limitation: if you use the default seedless setup and lose all cards without a seed phrase, the funds are permanently inaccessible. The three-card backup set reduces that risk significantly.

Cold-storage guidance describes moving funds from an exchange to a wallet's public address and keeping private keys offline. Self-custody removes exchange counterparty risk but shifts responsibility to the user: losing the private key or recovery method means there is no way to recover.

Option 2: Transfer to a Licensed Exchange

If you prefer to stay on an exchange, the alternative is moving to a platform that holds a valid CASP authorization. Licensed exchanges must meet MiCA's segregated-funds, AML, and consumer-protection requirements.

KuCoin EU (licensed in Austria since November 2025, available in 29 EEA countries) is one example of a platform that completed the authorization process. Other licensed providers appear in the ESMA CASP register. Before transferring, verify the specific exchange entity name against the register, not just the brand name.

How to Check If Your Exchange Is MiCA Licensed

The definitive source is ESMA's official CASP register, accessible through the "databases and registers" section of the ESMA website. Here's how to use it correctly:

1. Find the legal entity name of your exchange from its terms of service. Brand names and legal names often differ.
2. Search for that legal entity name in the ESMA CASP register.
3. Verify the member state, authorization date, and the specific services the entity is licensed for. MiCA defines ten service categories (custody, trading platform operation, fiat/crypto exchange, crypto/crypto exchange, order execution, placing, order reception/transmission, advice, portfolio management, and transfers).
4. Cross-check the same entity in the issuing national supervisor's register, such as MFSA (Malta), CSSF (Luxembourg), or the Central Bank of Ireland.

Independent trackers such as eumica.com mirror ESMA's interim MiCA data or are refreshed from it, providing more searchable views. Each of these tools explicitly states that ESMA's public register is the only authoritative source and must be used to verify any listing before taking action. If your exchange is not registered under its correct legal entity name, it is not licensed.