Austrian regulators have fined crypto exchange Bitpanda 70,000 euros, roughly $82,000, for breaching the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). The penalty, imposed by Austria's Financial Market Authority (FMA), is the first publicly disclosed enforcement action under MiCA.
The FMA said Bitpanda failed to submit a required crypto-asset white paper at least 20 working days before publishing it, as mandated by the rules. The case was resolved through an accelerated procedure under Austrian financial-market law, and the FMA said the penalty ruling is legally final.
MiCA Enforcement
The violations are procedural and disclosure-related, rather than allegations of fraud or investor losses. The case is notable as an early marker of how European authorities intend to police the new regime. MiCA aims to create a single set of rules across all 27 member states, protecting investors and safeguarding the integrity of crypto markets.
The penalty comes as the industry navigates MiCA's rollout, which took full effect for crypto-asset service providers in late 2024. The framework's transition period has been winding down, squeezing companies that hadn't yet come into full compliance.
Bitpanda's Compliance
Bitpanda, one of Europe's larger crypto platforms, holds MiCA licensing and has expanded aggressively across the continent. The relatively modest fine suggests the FMA treated the lapses as compliance failures rather than serious misconduct.