Crypto & Digital Assets · Italy
Crypto license in Italy: MiCA CASP requirements (2026)
Italy shaded by its crypto & digital assets status
Crypto is regulated in Italy, primarily under EU Regulation 2023/1114 (MiCAR), fully applicable from 30 December 2024, implemented in Italian law by Legislative Decree No. 129 of 5 September 2024 ('Decreto MiCAR'). Competent authorities: CONSOB (conduct, transparency, market integrity, investor protection) and Banca d'Italia (prudential supervision, AML, stability). AML registration via OAM (Organismo Agenti e Mediatori) for legacy VASPs in transitional regime. Crypto taxation under the 2025 Budget Law (Legge n. 207/2024) as amended by the 2026 Budget Law..
Crypto-assets are legal in Italy and fully regulated under the EU MiCA Regulation, which became fully applicable on 30 December 2024 and was implemented domestically by Legislative Decree 129/2024. CONSOB and Banca d'Italia share supervisory powers over CASPs and stablecoin (ART/EMT) issuers, with a transitional regime allowing legacy OAM-registered VASPs to continue operating until 30 June 2026, after which a CASP authorization under MiCAR is mandatory. Tax treatment was tightened by the 2025 Budget Law, raising the capital-gains rate on crypto to 33% from 1 January 2026 (with a 26% carve-out for MiCAR-compliant euro stablecoins), alongside DAC8 reporting obligations.
How to get a crypto license in Italy
To provide crypto-asset services in Italy you need a MiCA CASP authorisation (Crypto-Asset Service Provider), supervised by CONSOB, under the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), Title V.
- Authority
- CONSOB
- 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 Italy: FAQ
Yes. To provide crypto-asset services in Italy you need a MiCA CASP authorisation (Crypto-Asset Service Provider), supervised by CONSOB, under the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), Title V.
CONSOB.
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
Legislative Decree No. 129/2024 designates CONSOB as the lead authority for conduct/market-integrity supervision (issuing CASP authorizations with Banca d'Italia's opinion) and Banca d'Italia for prudential supervision and authorization of ART/EMT (stablecoin) issuers. Administrative sanctions can reach €5 million or 12.5% of annual turnover; unauthorized crypto-asset issuance can lead to imprisonment up to four years.
Legacy VASPs enrolled in the OAM register as of 27 December 2024 may continue operating under the old regime until 30 June 2026 if they applied for a MiCAR CASP authorization by 30 June 2025. CONSOB has set 15 April 2026 as the first hard deadline for supervisory-fee payment; from 1 July 2026 only authorized CASPs may serve the Italian market.
On 30 September 2025 Banca d'Italia issued the 'Disposizioni di vigilanza in materia di cripto-attività', operationalising prudential, organisational, governance, ICT and AML standards for CASPs and ART/EMT issuers under MiCAR and the Italian decree.
From 1 January 2026, capital gains on crypto-assets are taxed at 33% (up from 26%) and the previous €2,000 annual exemption is abolished; MiCAR-compliant euro-denominated stablecoins benefit from a reduced 26% rate. A 0.2% IVAFE wealth tax applies and an optional 18% step-up tax on holdings as of 1 January is available.
From 1 January 2026 all EU-registered crypto-asset service providers (and reporting non-EU providers) must automatically report user transaction data and year-end balances to national tax authorities under the EU DAC8 directive, transposed into Italian law.
CONSOB has aligned with ESMA guidelines on the classification of crypto-assets as financial instruments under MiFID II. Tokens that qualify as financial instruments/products are subject to Italian prospectus and securities-law obligations; non-financial crypto-assets fall under MiCAR's lighter white-paper regime.
Timeline - major decisions & events
Italy's securities regulator Consob continued ordering ISP blackouts of websites offering crypto-asset services to Italians without authorization, exercising powers granted by Legislative Decree 129/2024 and MiCAR; cumulative blocked sites have surpassed 1,400 since 2019. Shows active enforcement of the new licensing regime.
Consob ↗Italy extended the transitional window for incumbent virtual-asset providers, pushing the deadline to obtain a MiCAR licence from Bank of Italy/Consob and the full entry into force of the obligation to 30 June 2026. Gives Italian crypto firms more time to authorize under the new EU framework.
CMS ↗Consob issued secondary regulation operationalizing the supervision of crypto-asset service providers and offerings under MiCAR and Decree 129/2024. Completes the Italian rulebook governing how CASPs are authorized and conduct business.
Consob ↗Published in the Official Gazette, the decree designates Banca d'Italia and Consob as the competent authorities for crypto-assets and adapts the Banking and Finance Acts to MiCAR. Establishes the institutional architecture for crypto supervision in Italy.
Greenberg Traurig ↗Italy's tax authority published official guidance clarifying how the 2023 Budget Law's crypto-asset income rules apply, including computation of capital gains, losses and the optional reporting regimes. Provides taxpayers operational clarity on the new 26% regime.
CMS ↗Italy's Budget Law (Law 197/2022) created a dedicated income-tax regime taxing capital gains on crypto-assets at 26% (above a then-€2,000 threshold), plus a value-revaluation option. First comprehensive statutory tax treatment of crypto for individuals in Italy.
CoinDesk ↗Following the MEF decree of 13 January 2022, crypto exchange and wallet providers had to enroll in a dedicated section of the OAM register and report client/transaction data to operate in Italy. Created the first mandatory licensing-style gateway for crypto businesses, on AML grounds.
CMS ↗Implementing Directive (EU) 2018/843, the decree broadened Italy's anti-money-laundering perimeter over virtual-currency and wallet service providers. Extended AML obligations and laid groundwork for the OAM registration requirement.
Global Legal Post ↗Conversion law of the 'Decreto Crescita' empowered Consob to order ISPs to black out websites of abusive financial intermediaries, a tool later extended to unauthorized crypto-asset services. Underpins Italy's ongoing crackdown on illegal crypto platforms.
FX News Group ↗The central bank issued a formal public warning describing the risks of Bitcoin and similar assets, volatility, lack of regulation/guarantee, and money-laundering exposure. Italy's first official position on crypto, signaling caution while no specific rules yet existed.
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