KBC Bank to launch Bitcoin and Ether trading in Belgium under MiCA

2 hours ago

KBC, 1 of Belgium’s largest banks, is acceptable to rotation retired Bitcoin and Ether trading to retail investors adjacent period via its ain custodial solution and concern platform.

From Feb. 16, KBC customers volition beryllium capable to bargain and merchantability crypto assets done the online concern level Bolero, the slope announced Thursday.

“This volition alteration self-directed investors successful Belgium to put successful cryptocurrencies wrong a unafraid and afloat regulated environment, a archetypal successful Belgium,” KBC said.

Launched successful compliance with the European Union’s Markets successful Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), KBC’s crypto trading volition run connected the bank’s proprietary custodial architecture, the announcement said.

KBC claims MiCA compliance, but Belgium has issued nary licenses yet

KBC said it would beryllium the archetypal Belgian slope to conscionable MiCA requirements, and has submitted a afloat crypto plus work supplier (CASP) notification to the competent authorization to connection crypto trading services.

“By offering the accidental to acquisition and merchantability crypto wrong a regulated framework, we are making innovation factual and accessible,” KBC Group’s main innovation serviceman Erik Luts said.

KBC initially announced plans to connection Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) trading via Bolero successful July 2025, pending regulatory support that was expected by the extremity of the year.

The slope did not specify which authorization it had coordinated with, but Belgian authorities person not issued immoderate MiCA licenses yet, according to the nationalist registry maintained by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).

Belgium’s MiCA model has conscionable travel into effect

While the MiCA model entered into afloat unit successful precocious 2025, Belgium had not adopted nationalist laws implementing MiCA until recently. The subordinate authorities published its implementing instrumentality successful December 2025, with MiCA becoming legally effectual successful Belgium connected Jan. 3, 2026, according to the Belgian Official Gazette.

The instrumentality officially designated 2 Belgian authorities for crypto plus marketplace oversight, the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) and the National Bank of Belgium (NBB).

Belgium’s delayed MiCA implementation comes amid ongoing statement implicit whether the EU should assistance centralized supervisory authorization to ESMA arsenic good arsenic let MiCA licenses issued successful 1 subordinate authorities to beryllium passported crossed the bloc.

Some EU subordinate states, specified arsenic France, person backed proposals to springiness ESMA nonstop oversight of large crypto firms, arguing that fragmented oversight could endanger the bloc’s fiscal sovereignty.

As a professional of passporting, France has adjacent raised the anticipation of blocking MiCA licenses issued by different subordinate states, informing immoderate companies whitethorn question approvals successful jurisdictions with much lenient standards.

Others, peculiarly Malta, person opposed specified centralization, informing it could perchance hinder competitiveness and innovation.

Cointelegraph reached retired to KBC for remark but had not received a effect astatine the clip of publication.

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