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Glossary termPublished inMiCA

Crypto-asset service

What does "Crypto-asset service" mean under MiCA?

Any of the services and activities relating to any crypto-asset listed in points (16) to (25) of Article 3(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114:

Crypto-asset service means any of the following services and activities relating to any crypto-asset:

  • (a) providing custody and administration of crypto-assets on behalf of clients
  • (b) operation of a trading platform for crypto-assets
  • (c) exchange of crypto-assets for funds
  • (d) exchange of crypto-assets for other crypto-assets
  • (e) execution of orders for crypto-assets on behalf of clients
  • (f) placing of crypto-assets
  • (g) reception and transmission of orders for crypto-assets on behalf of clients
  • (h) providing advice on crypto-assets
  • (i) providing portfolio management on crypto-assets
  • (j) providing transfer services for crypto-assets on behalf of clients

Defined in / by

Last updated: 22 August 2026.

Regulations

  • Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA)

    MiCA is Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. Full application began on 30 December 2024 and the EU-wide transitional period expired on 1 July 2026, so there is now no grandfathering anywhere in the EEA. Around 325 crypto-asset service providers are authorised. Not one asset-referenced token issuer appears on ESMA's register.

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    Commission final report under Art. 140, covering DeFi, third-country equivalence, thresholds and consensus-mechanism environmental impact

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