On 20 April 2023 the European Parliament adopted the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation at first reading: 517 votes in favour, 38 against, 18 abstentions. The same sitting also endorsed the “travel rule” for crypto transfers. Stefan Berger, the MEP who shepherded MiCA, called Europe the first continent with comprehensive crypto-asset rules. The Council still had to formally adopt the act; publication in the Official Journal and the clock for application would follow. Stablecoin (asset-referenced and e-money token) titles apply first, in mid-2024. Crypto-asset service provider rules apply on 30 December 2024. That last date already has a piece on this site. This page is the vote.
A plenary majority is not a licence in your member state. It is not permission for a US or UK firm. It is not a green candle with a legal memo attached.
What happened
MiCA covers offers of crypto-assets, asset-referenced tokens, e-money tokens, and CASPs — the firms that hold, exchange, or transfer crypto for customers. White papers, authorisation, market abuse, and complaints handling move toward financial-services grammar. Bitcoin and ether as such are not “approved”. They are in scope as crypto-assets when someone offers a service around them.
Why it matters
If you live in the Union, the firms you use will spend the next year hiring lawyers. If you do not, this vote is someone else’s rulebook that may still affect a global venue’s product menu. See the 30 December 2024 CASP-day article for what “applies in full” looks like when the calendar actually turns. Do not treat this April vote as that day.
What happens next
Council, Official Journal, ESMA and EBA technical standards, and a scramble for licences. Nothing here is an instruction to use or leave any EU venue, or to buy, sell, or hold any asset.
