Woofun AI reports that the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) released its inaugural post-deadline update to the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) register, a move headlined by the inclusion of major banking group Standard Chartered. This regulatory milestone, occurring after the transitional period concluded on Wednesday, marks a significant shift in the European crypto-asset landscape.

The Friday update introduced 37 licensed crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) to the official ledger, a figure that brought the total count to 280, rising from 243 in the prior release on June 26. Standard Chartered secured its Luxembourg-based authorization on June 25, joining a cohort that includes digital asset prime brokerage FalconX, Sygnum Europe, and Ronin EM. Simultaneously, the register for electronic money tokens (EMTs) expanded to include Crédit Agricole's CACEIS.

Beyond the standard MiCA authorization, Standard Chartered announced on Monday the acquisition of an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license, granting the bank authority to issue electronic money and facilitate payment services. Margaret Harwood-Jones, global head of financing, stated that securing these dual licenses represents a pivotal advancement in the institution's European digital asset strategy. The bank emphasized that these approvals complement recent custody service launches in Asia and the Middle East to meet rising client demand for regulated access.

Cyprus emerged as the leading jurisdiction for new authorizations, contributing six of the 37 new CASPs, followed by France, Italy, and Malta with five entries each. The Czech Republic and Spain added four providers apiece, while Luxembourg recorded three, the Netherlands two, and Germany, Liechtenstein, and Latvia one each. Per Woofun AI, these approvals raised the cumulative total for the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) to 21, whereas Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) retains the highest EU total at 58.

No modifications were made to the register of asset-referenced tokens (ARTs), which continues to list zero approved issuers. Similarly, the list of non-compliant entities remained static at 162. This stability in the ART and non-compliant categories suggests a focused regulatory enforcement on service providers rather than token issuance during this initial post-deadline phase.