Crypto & Digital Assets · France
Crypto license in France: MiCA CASP requirements (2026)
France shaded by its crypto & digital assets status
Crypto is regulated in France, primarily under EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA, Reg. 2023/1114) as nationally implemented by Ordinance 2024-936 (15 Oct 2024) and Decree 2025-169 (21 Feb 2025), integrated into the French Monetary and Financial Code; supervised by the AMF (Autorité des marchés financiers) and the ACPR (Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution). The legacy PSAN/DASP regime created by the 2019 PACTE law remains transitional..
Crypto-assets are legal in France and regulated under the EU MiCA framework, which has applied in full since 30 December 2024 (with stablecoin Titles III/IV in force since 30 June 2024). The AMF authorises Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs), while the ACPR supervises issuers of asset-referenced tokens (ARTs) and e-money tokens (EMTs). A national transitional period allowing pre-existing PSAN/DASP-registered providers to continue operating without a MiCA authorisation ends on 1 July 2026.
How to get a crypto license in France
To provide crypto-asset services in France you need a MiCA CASP authorisation (Crypto-Asset Service Provider), supervised by the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), under the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), Title V.
- Authority
- the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF)
- License required
- a MiCA CASP authorisation (Crypto-Asset Service Provider)
- Framework / law
- the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), Title V
- Minimum capital
- €50,000–€150,000 minimum, by service class (Class 1/2/3)
- Timeline
- about 40 working days of substantive review; 1–3 months for a well-prepared application
- Cost
- an application fee of roughly €5,000–€25,000, plus ongoing supervisory fees
- Passporting
- Yes — a single MiCA CASP licence passports across all 27 EU member states.
Crypto license in France: FAQ
Yes. To provide crypto-asset services in France you need a MiCA CASP authorisation (Crypto-Asset Service Provider), supervised by the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), under the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), Title V.
The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF).
An application fee of roughly €5,000–€25,000, plus ongoing supervisory fees.
Typically about 40 working days of substantive review; 1–3 months for a well-prepared application.
Yes — a single MiCA CASP licence passports across all 27 EU member states.
Key points
MiCA applies in France as of 30 December 2024 for CASP-related provisions. The AMF is the competent authority for CASP authorisation and supervision, with the ACPR consulted on prudential matters.
Pre-existing French DASPs (PSANs registered under the 2019 PACTE law) may continue services without MiCA authorisation only until 1 July 2026; after that date unauthorised provision is a criminal offence (up to 2 years imprisonment and €30,000 fine).
Issuers of asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens must be authorised by the ACPR; only credit institutions and electronic money institutions may issue EMTs. Société Générale-FORGE, Circle France and Schuman Financial are among the first ACPR-authorised EMT issuers.
MiCA does not cover fully decentralised protocols. The AMF has published a discussion paper and summary of responses on DeFi, supports internationally coordinated regulation under a 'same activity, same risk, same outcome' principle and is exploring smart-contract certification with the ACPR.
Occasional disposals of digital assets by individuals are taxed under Article 150 VH bis CGI, subject to the single flat-rate levy (PFU) at 30% (12.8% income tax + 17.2% social levies). Crypto-to-crypto swaps are tax-deferred until fiat conversion or purchase of goods/services; total disposals up to €305/year are exempt.
France's PACTE law created an optional AMF visa for public offerings of utility tokens (white paper review); offerings without the visa remain legal but cannot use general solicitation. Tokens qualifying as financial instruments fall outside this regime and are governed by EU prospectus and MiFID II rules.
Timeline - major decisions & events
France enacted Decree 2025-169 on crypto-asset markets, completing the domestic legal adaptation (alongside Ordinance 2024-936) that aligns the French regime and AMF/ACPR powers with the EU MiCA Regulation.
AMF ↗The EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation took full effect for crypto-asset service providers (CASPs); new entrants must now obtain a MiCA CASP authorisation to operate, with a European passport across the EU.
AMF ↗The AMF began accepting applications for CASP authorisation under MiCA, including a simplified fast-track procedure for existing DASPs, ahead of the regulation's full application; stablecoin (Titles III/IV) rules applied from 30 June 2024.
AMF ↗Binance France SAS secured AMF registration as a digital asset service provider (with ACPR agreement), a high-profile milestone; French users later faced restrictions on derivatives and leveraged products not covered by the PSAN regime.
data.gouv.fr (AMF whitelist) ↗Coinhouse (and Coinhouse Custody Services) received the AMF's first mandatory DASP registration (E2020-001) for buy/sell against fiat and custody, operationalising the PACTE regime created in 2019.
Fintech Finance ↗In Paymium v. BitSpread, France's first instance commercial court of Nanterre gave the first French legal characterization of bitcoin, treating it as fungible and consumable like currency, shaping how crypto loans and ownership are treated.
Clifford Chance ↗The AMF issued its first optional approval (visa) for an initial coin offering to the fintech French-ICO, the first use of the PACTE Law's voluntary token-offering regime designed to give investor guarantees.
AMF ↗Law 2019-486 (PACTE) established France's pioneering crypto regime: mandatory AMF registration for exchange and custody providers, optional licensing for other DASPs, and an optional ICO visa, the foundation of the current framework.
AMF ↗France - other topics
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