Source: OJ L 150, 9.6.2023, pp. 40–205Current language: EN
- Markets in crypto-assets
Basic legislative acts
- MiCA regulation
Article 16 Authorisation
A person shall not make an offer to the public, or seek the admission to trading, of an asset-referenced token, within the Union, unless that person is the issuer of that asset-referenced token and is:
a legal person or other undertaking that is established in the Union and has been authorised in accordance with Article 21 by the competent authority of its home Member State; or
a credit institution that complies with Article 17.
Notwithstanding the first subparagraph, upon the written consent of the issuer of an asset-referenced token, other persons may offer to the public or seek the admission to trading of that asset-referenced token. Those persons shall comply with Articles 27, 29 and 40.
For the purposes of point (a) of the first subparagraph, other undertakings may issue asset-referenced tokens only if their legal form ensures a level of protection for third parties’ interests equivalent to that afforded by legal persons and if they are subject to equivalent prudential supervision appropriate to their legal form.
Paragraph 1 shall not apply where:
over a period of 12 months, calculated at the end of each calendar day, the average outstanding value of the asset-referenced token issued by an issuer never exceeds EUR 5 000 000, or the equivalent amount in another official currency, and the issuer is not linked to a network of other exempt issuers; or
the offer to the public of the asset-referenced token is addressed solely to qualified investors and the asset-referenced token can only be held by such qualified investors.
Where this paragraph applies, issuers of asset-referenced tokens shall draw up a crypto-asset white paper as provided for in Article 19 and notify that crypto-asset white paper and, upon request, any marketing communications, to the competent authority of their home Member State.
The authorisation granted by the competent authority to a person referred to in paragraph 1, first subparagraph, point (a), shall be valid for the entire Union and shall allow an issuer of an asset-referenced token to offer to the public, throughout the Union, the asset-referenced token for which it has been authorised, or to seek an admission to trading of such asset-referenced token.
The approval granted by the competent authority of an issuer’s crypto-asset white paper under Article 17(1) or Article 21(1) or of the modified crypto-asset white paper under Article 25 shall be valid for the entire Union.
Relevant recitals
Recital 40 Stricter regime for asset-referenced tokens
Asset-referenced tokens could be widely adopted by holders to transfer value or as a means of exchange and thus pose increased risks in terms of protection of holders of crypto-assets, in particular retail holders, and in terms of market integrity, as compared to other crypto-assets. Issuers of asset-referenced tokens should therefore be subject to more stringent requirements than issuers of other crypto-assets.
Recital 42 ART issuers must be EU-established
To ensure the proper supervision and monitoring of offers to the public of asset-referenced tokens, issuers of asset-referenced tokens should have a registered office in the Union.
Recital 43 Authorisation and white paper approval for ARTs
Offers to the public of asset-referenced tokens in the Union or seeking admission to trading of such crypto-assets should be permitted only where the competent authority has authorised the issuer of such crypto-assets to do so and has approved the relevant crypto-asset white paper. The authorisation requirement should however not apply where the asset-referenced tokens are addressed solely to qualified investors or where the offer to the public of the asset-referenced tokens is below EUR 5 000 000. In those cases, the issuer of the asset-referenced tokens should still be required to draw up a crypto-asset white paper to inform buyers about the characteristics and risks of the asset-referenced tokens and should also be required to notify the crypto-asset white paper to the competent authority before its publication.
Springlex and this text is meant purely as a documentation tool and has no legal effect. No liability is assumed for its content. The authentic version of this act is the one published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
- where the offeror or person seeking admission to trading of crypto-assets other than asset-referenced tokens or e-money tokens has its registered office in the Union, the Member State where that offeror or person has its registered office;
- where the offeror or person seeking admission to trading of crypto-assets other than asset-referenced tokens or e-money tokens has no registered office in the Union but does have one or more branches in the Union, the Member State chosen by that offeror or person from among the Member States where it has branches;
- where the offeror or person seeking admission to trading of crypto-assets other than asset-referenced tokens or e-money tokens is established in a third country and has no branch in the Union, either the Member State where the crypto-assets are intended to be offered to the public for the first time or, at the choice of the offeror or person seeking admission to trading, the Member State where the first application for admission to trading of those crypto-assets is made;
- in the case of an issuer of asset-referenced tokens, the Member State where the issuer of asset-referenced tokens has its registered office;
- in the case of an issuer of e-money tokens, the Member State where the issuer of e-money tokens is authorised as a credit institution under Directive 2013/36/EU or as an electronic money institution under Directive 2009/110/EC;
- in the case of crypto-asset service providers, the Member State where the crypto-asset service provider has its registered office;
- designated by each Member State in accordance with Article 93 concerning offerors, persons seeking admission to trading of crypto-assets other than asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens, issuers of asset-referenced tokens, or crypto-asset service providers;
- designated by each Member State for the application of Directive 2009/110/EC concerning issuers of e-money tokens;