The European Securities and Markets Authority added nine entities to its database, lifting the ESMA MiCA register to 375 authorized crypto asset service providers. The official update published on October 16, 2026, incorporated commercial exchanges, lending platforms, and traditional credit institutions.
Among the new entrants is Austrian entity MEGE zweite, operated by BingX. The exchange confirmed it secured European regulatory clearance to distribute compliant services across the European Economic Area under uniform operational standards.
Daniel Lai, chief executive officer of BingX EU, stated that the authorization permits operations within a transparent legal perimeter. The intake follows prior phases where the regulator added multiple firms after domestic transitional windows concluded across member states.
Italian authorities also approved the domestic subsidiary of crypto platform YouHodler. The company obtained approval for digital custody, exchange operations, order execution, and asset transfer services across domestic payment channels.
Traditional banking expanded its footprint through Openbank Deutschland, a digital banking arm owned by Banco Santander. Germany registered three financial institutions, including regional cooperative lenders VR-Bank Alb-Blau-Donau and VR Bank im südlichen Franken.
Spanish financial platform Prakma Markets, associated with savings application Goin, also entered the roster. The company structures investment and custody solutions for European retail customers.
Supervisory pressure continues across stablecoin markets as observers assess whether Tether faces European compliance hurdles under strict reserve and transactional ceiling mandates enforced under current mandates.
The official tally for electronic money tokens remained flat at 50 registered entries, representing 25 separate corporate issuers. In contrast, the asset-referenced token category recorded zero authorized entities across the entire bloc.
Enforcement metrics expanded during the same reporting cycle. The public roster of unauthorized crypto firms reached 178 entities, following the addition of five unlicensed organizations barred from soliciting European residents.
Meanwhile, Denmark-based Penning Financial Services disappeared from the public roster after being included continuously since July 3, 2026. Neither ESMA nor Danish regulators issued an explanatory note regarding the omission.
A spokesperson for Penning Financial Services confirmed that its regulatory status has not changed. The firm stated it received no formal notices regarding license revocation from Danish supervisors.
ESMA will issue its next weekly register publication, which will clarify whether Penning’s status reflects a technical omission or an ongoing licensing revision.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
