Source: OJ L 150, 9.6.2023, pp. 40–205Current language: EN
- Markets in crypto-assets
Basic legislative acts
- MiCA regulation
Article 25 Modification of published crypto-asset white papers for asset-referenced tokens
Summary What does Article 25 of the MiCA regulation say?
This article establishes the change management process that issuers of asset-referenced tokens must follow after they have received their initial authorisation under Article 21 or had their crypto-asset white paper approved under Article 17.
It creates a formal pre-notification and approval regime for material business model changes, covering a broad range of areas from governance and reserve assets to AML procedures and third-party arrangements.
Critically, any such change requires a draft modified white paper to be submitted and approved by the competent authority before the change takes effect, and where changes touch on payment systems or monetary policy, the ECB and relevant central banks must be consulted.
Important points:
- Notify your home competent authority of any material business model change at least 30 working days before that change takes effect.
- A draft modified crypto-asset white paper must be submitted alongside the notification, and the competent authority has 30 working days to approve or refuse it.
- Competent authorities are required to consult the ECB where modifications are considered relevant to payment systems, monetary policy transmission, or monetary sovereignty, and where the ECB proposes corrective measures, the more stringent of any conflicting measures must be applied.
Springlex's summary of the article, a reading aid, not a substitute for the legal text.
Issuers of asset-referenced tokens shall notify the competent authority of their home Member State of any intended change of their business model likely to have a significant influence on the purchase decision of any holders or prospective holders of asset-referenced tokens, which occurs after the authorisation pursuant to Article 21 or after the approval of the crypto-asset white paper pursuant to Article 17, as well as in the context of Article 23. Such changes include, amongst others, any material modifications to:
the governance arrangements, including reporting lines to the management body and risk management framework;
the reserve assets and the custody of the reserve assets;
the rights granted to the holders of asset-referenced tokens;
the mechanism through which an asset-referenced token is issued and redeemed;
the protocols for validating the transactions in asset-referenced tokens;
the functioning of issuers’ proprietary distributed ledger technology, where the asset-referenced tokens are issued, transferred and stored using such a distributed ledger technology;
the mechanisms to ensure the liquidity of asset-referenced tokens, including the liquidity management policy and procedures for issuers of significant asset-referenced tokens referred to in Article 45;
the arrangements with third-party entities, including for managing the reserve assets and the investment of the reserve, the custody of reserve assets, and, where applicable, the distribution of the asset-referenced tokens to the public;
the complaints-handling procedures;
the money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessment and general policies and procedures related thereto.
Issuers of asset-referenced tokens shall notify the competent authority of their home Member State at least 30 working days before the intended changes take effect.
Where any intended change as referred to in paragraph 1 has been notified to the competent authority, the issuer of an asset-referenced token shall draw up a draft modified crypto-asset white paper and shall ensure that the order of the information appearing therein is consistent with that of the original crypto-asset white paper.
The issuer of the asset-referenced token shall notify the draft modified crypto-asset white paper to the competent authority of the home Member State.
The competent authority shall electronically acknowledge receipt of the draft modified crypto-asset white paper as soon as possible, and at the latest five working days from receipt thereof.
The competent authority shall grant approval of, or refuse to approve, the draft modified crypto-asset white paper within 30 working days of acknowledgement of receipt thereof. During the examination of the draft modified crypto-asset white paper, the competent authority may request any additional information, explanations or justifications concerning the draft modified crypto-asset white paper. When the competent authority makes such request, the time limit of 30 working days shall commence only when the competent authority has received the additional information requested.
Where the competent authority considers that the modifications to a crypto-asset white paper are potentially relevant for the smooth operation of payment systems, monetary policy transmission and monetary sovereignty, it shall consult the ECB and, where applicable, the central bank referred to in Article 20(4). The competent authority may also consult EBA and ESMA in such cases.
The ECB or the relevant central bank and, where applicable, EBA and ESMA, shall provide an opinion within 20 working days of receipt of the consultation referred to in the first subparagraph.
Where the competent authority approves the modified crypto-asset white paper, it may require the issuer of the asset-referenced token:
to put in place mechanisms to ensure the protection of holders of the asset-referenced token, when a potential modification of the issuer’s operations can have a material effect on the value, stability, or risks of the asset-referenced token or the reserve assets;
to take any appropriate corrective measures to address concerns related to market integrity, financial stability or the smooth operation of payment systems.
The competent authority shall require the issuer of the asset-referenced token to take any appropriate corrective measures to address concerns related to the smooth operation of payment systems, monetary policy transmission, or monetary sovereignty, if such corrective measures are proposed by the ECB or, where applicable, the central bank referred to in Article 20(4) in the consultations referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article.
Where the ECB or the central bank referred to in Article 20(4) has proposed different measures than the ones required by the competent authority, the measures proposed shall be combined or, if not possible, the more stringent measure shall be required.
The competent authority shall communicate the modified crypto-asset white paper to ESMA, the single points of contact of the host Member States, EBA, the ECB and, where applicable, the central bank of the Member State concerned within two working days of granting approval.
ESMA shall make the modified crypto-asset white paper available in the register referred to in Article 109 without undue delay.
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.
Definition
placing of crypto-assets
Definition
official currency
Definition
electronic money institution
Definition
distributed ledger
Definition
reception and transmission of orders for crypto-assets on behalf of clients
Definition
exchange of crypto-assets for funds
Definition
credit institution
Definition
consensus mechanism
Definition
operation of a trading platform for crypto-assets
Definition
e-money token
Definition
home Member State
- 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;
Definition
crypto-asset service
- providing custody and administration of crypto-assets on behalf of clients;
- operation of a trading platform for crypto-assets;
- exchange of crypto-assets for funds;
- exchange of crypto-assets for other crypto-assets;
- execution of orders for crypto-assets on behalf of clients;
- placing of crypto-assets;
- reception and transmission of orders for crypto-assets on behalf of clients;
- providing advice on crypto-assets;
- providing portfolio management on crypto-assets;
- providing transfer services for crypto-assets on behalf of clients;
Definition
offer to the public
Definition
providing advice on crypto-assets
Definition
offeror
Definition
execution of orders for crypto-assets on behalf of clients
Definition
electronic money
Definition
management body
Definition
crypto-asset service provider
Definition
crypto-asset
Definition
DLT network node
Definition
funds
Definition
client
Definition
asset-referenced token
Definition
issuer
Definition
exchange of crypto-assets for other crypto-assets
Definition
electronic money token
Definition
providing custody and administration of crypto-assets on behalf of clients
Definition
providing transfer services for crypto-assets on behalf of clients
Definition
distributed ledger technology
Definition
host Member State
Definition
competent authority
- 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;