Entering the European Union
Last updated 23 October 2026
Marc Taverner leads EU market entry for web3, digital asset, fintech and AI companies. As INATBA's founding Executive Director in Brussels from 2020 to 2022, he led the industry's response to MiCA and DORA, the rules your entry now runs on.
Opened markets in 20+ countries for BitFury, from Brussels to the Gulf.
What it takes
MiCA gives crypto asset firms one rulebook across the EU, and DORA sets the operational resilience bar for financial firms and their technology suppliers. Getting authorised is one step. Getting banks, partners and regulators in your target countries to trust you is the next.
At INATBA, the blockchain association backed by the European Commission and Abu Dhabi Global Market, I grew membership to 170+ while leading the industry’s response to MiCA and DORA. I chaired its Academic Advisory Body and chaired meetings of its Government Advisory Body.
MiCA and DORA at a glance
- 30 December 2024
- MiCA began to apply to crypto asset service providers.
- 17 January 2025
- DORA began to apply to financial entities, including crypto asset service providers authorised under MiCA.
- 1 July 2026
- The last MiCA transitional periods ended (several member states ended theirs earlier). Serving EU clients now needs a granted MiCA authorisation; a pending application is not enough.
Sources: ESMA, Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation; EIOPA, Digital Operational Resilience Act; Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 (DORA); Elliptic, the end of MiCA’s transitional period; KPMG, MiCA: the end of the transitional period for CASPs.
What I bring
- A plan for where to authorise and where to sell first
- Relationships with the institutions and industry bodies that shape EU policy
- Introductions to banks, partners and first customers across Europe
- Board level understanding of what MiCA and DORA ask of you
Questions
Who can help a crypto company enter the EU under MiCA?
Marc Taverner, founding Executive Director of INATBA from 2020 to 2022, led the industry’s response to MiCA and DORA in Brussels. He now leads EU market entry for digital asset, fintech and AI companies, working alongside their lawyers on where to authorise, where to sell first and which banks, partners and customers to approach.
Is the MiCA transitional period over?
Yes. The longest transitional periods ended on 1 July 2026, and several member states ended theirs earlier. A firm serving EU clients now needs a granted MiCA authorisation.
Can one MiCA licence cover the whole EU?
Authorisation in one member state can be passported to the others, and regulators expect real substance in the home country. Which country to authorise in is a commercial decision as much as a legal one, and it is usually the first question Marc works through with a client.
Does DORA apply to crypto firms?
Yes. DORA has applied since 17 January 2025 to financial entities, including crypto asset service providers authorised under MiCA, and sets rules for technology risk and third party suppliers. Your compliance team leads on it; Marc helps the board understand what it asks of the business.
Planning to enter the European Union?
Opened markets in 20+ countries for BitFury, from Brussels to the Gulf.