🇱🇺 Crypto licence in Luxembourg

The regime

The CSSF authorises CASPs under MiCA. Luxembourg's fund-servicing industry — the largest in Europe — has made it a natural base for institutional-facing crypto and tokenization businesses, and Coinbase chose it as the seat for its EU MiCA licence in 2025.

Luxembourg has also been the EU's tokenization laboratory: its blockchain laws (I through IV) recognised DLT-based securities issuance early, which is why several large tokenized-fund pilots settle there.

Requirements

• CASP authorisation from the CSSF under MiCA (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) — one licence covering exchange, custody, brokerage, transfer and advisory services.
• Minimum own funds: €50,000 (Class 1 — reception/transmission of orders, advice, transfers), €125,000 (Class 2 — adds custody and exchange against funds) or €150,000 (Class 3 — operating a trading platform).
• Substance in Luxembourg: a registered office, effective management in the EU and at least one EU-resident director.
• Safeguarding: segregation of client crypto-assets and client funds from the firm's own book, with a custody policy.
• AML/CTF: EU framework compliance including Travel Rule originator/beneficiary data under the Transfer of Funds Regulation.
• Operational resilience: governance, conflicts, complaints, outsourcing and ICT-risk (DORA) arrangements sized to the service classes sought.

Licensed firms

Notable names in the Luxembourg regime:

• Coinbase — seated its EU MiCA authorisation with the CSSF in 2025
• Bitstamp — Luxembourg-licensed (payment institution) since 2016, the EU's first licensed exchange

Snapshot, not the register: verify current status against CSSF register before relying on it.

Why did Coinbase pick Luxembourg for MiCA?

A regulator experienced with cross-border financial services, deep fund-industry infrastructure, and early DLT-friendly legislation. The licence passports to all 27 member states regardless of seat.

How do I verify a firm is CSSF-authorised?

Check the CSSF's public register or ESMA's interim MiCA register. A CASP authorised anywhere in the EU may passport into Luxembourg, so a firm serving Luxembourg legally may hold its licence from another member state.