Article 5 Admission to trading of crypto-assets other than asset-referenced tokens or e-money tokens

Given the different risks and opportunities raised by crypto-assets, it is necessary to lay down rules for offerors and persons seeking admission to trading of crypto-assets other than asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens, as well as for issuers of asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens. Issuers of crypto-assets are entities that have control over the creation of crypto-assets.

To ensure that all offers to the public of crypto-assets other than asset-referenced tokens or e-money tokens, which can potentially have a financial use, or all admissions of crypto-assets to trading on a trading platform for crypto-assets (‘admission to trading’), in the Union, are properly monitored and supervised by competent authorities, all offerors or persons seeking admission to trading should be legal persons.

In order to ensure their protection, prospective retail holders of crypto-assets should be informed of the characteristics, functions and risks of the crypto-assets that they intend to purchase. When making an offer to the public of crypto-assets other than asset-referenced tokens or e-money tokens or when seeking admission to trading of such crypto-assets in the Union, offerors or persons seeking admission to trading should draw up, notify to their competent authority and publish an information document containing mandatory disclosures (‘a crypto-asset white paper’). A crypto-asset white paper should contain general information on the issuer, offeror or person seeking admission to trading, on the project to be carried out with the capital raised, on the offer to the public of crypto-assets or on their admission to trading, on the rights and obligations attached to the crypto-assets, on the underlying technology used for such crypto-assets and on the related risks. However, the crypto-asset white paper should not contain a description of risks that are unforeseeable and very unlikely to materialise. The information contained in the crypto-asset white paper as well as in the relevant marketing communications, such as advertising messages and marketing material, and including through new channels such as social media platforms, should be fair, clear and not misleading. Advertising messages and marketing material should be consistent with the information provided in the crypto-asset white paper.

The operator of a trading platform should be responsible for complying with the requirements of Title II of this Regulation where crypto-assets are admitted to trading on its own initiative and the crypto-asset white paper has not already been published in the cases required by this Regulation. The operator of a trading platform should also be responsible for complying with those requirements where it has concluded a written agreement to that end with the person seeking admission to trading. The person seeking admission to trading should remain responsible when it provides misleading information to the operator of the trading platform. The person seeking admission to trading should also remain responsible for matters not delegated to the operator of the trading platform.