Only 17-20% of EU Crypto Firms Secure MiCA License Before July 1 Deadline; 68.6% of Users Unaware of Exchange Compliance Status

According to a Paybis survey of over 850 European crypto users, the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) transition deadline on July 1, 2026 has left millions of retail investors unprepared for the compliance shift. Of approximately 1,200 firms previously registered under national licences, only 17-20% secured full Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorisation in time. Fewer than 20 of the world's 100 largest exchanges held valid MiCA licences as of July 8.

Nearly 7 in 10 respondents—68.6%—do not know whether their current exchange holds MiCA authorisation. Among users forced to migrate platforms, fees and pricing ranked as the top consideration at 31.8%, followed by Trustpilot and Google reviews at 26.9%. Unlicensed platforms began restricting accounts to withdrawal-only mode, disabling deposits and trading for non-compliant services.