MiCA Pushes EU to Adapt: ‘Not Everyone Will Make the Cut’

(Crypto News)-04/06/2025

The rollout of Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) has been one of the most significant regulatory shifts in Europe’s crypto landscape. With unified rules finally in place, the goal is to bring order to a fragmented market. But the transition won’t be easy for everyone.

At the UN:BLOCK conference in Riga, held on April 22–24, Cryptonews spoke with legal experts, industry founders, and regulatory insiders about what MiCA will actually change and who’s best positioned to adapt.

Compliance or Exit: How MiCA Is Reshaping the Market

Speaking with Cryptonews at the conference, Rūdolfs Eņģelis, partner at Sorainen, said:

In the short term, the market structure in the EU will be affected because smaller players, who cannot afford the cost and time burden of both getting the license and then ensuring ongoing compliance, will exit the EU market.

In the long term, MiCA may deepen global regulatory fragmentation unless major regions align on shared standards:

This risks causing silos or effectively divergent pockets of regulation globally, and crypto trading between these pockets will be impeded unless the key standards are unified.

MiCA offers the structure and credibility the European crypto market has long lacked. But it also brings a steep learning curve. As smaller firms exit or adapt, the industry will consolidate around those who can meet the bar. If regulators balance enforcement with support, MiCA could help turn the EU into a global crypto powerhouse. Without that balance, innovation may look for a home elsewhere.