Skip to main content

MiCA e-money token

Authorised in the EU as an e-money token: reserves held with credit institutions, redemption at par on demand.

Jurisdiction
European Union / EEA
Regulator
National competent authorities under ESMA and EBA coordination
In force
Stablecoin (EMT/ART) rules applied from 30 June 2024
Reserve rule
Full backing, segregated from the issuer's own assets, with at least 30% of fiat reserves held as deposits at EU credit institutions (60% for significant tokens) and the rest in low-risk, highly liquid instruments.
Redemption right
A legal right to redeem at par, at any time, free of charge, enforceable against the authorised issuer.
Disclosure
Published white paper, ongoing reserve reporting, and notification duties to the home regulator.

What this regime does not protect you from

  • Your token sitting on an exchange — that is exchange credit risk, not issuer risk
  • Smart-contract failure on any given chain
  • Depegs on secondary markets between redemption windows
  • Non-EEA issuance of the same ticker, which may sit outside MiCA entirely

Tokens under MiCA e-money token (1)

Columns
Stablecoins under MiCA e-money token
USDC logoUSDCUSD Coin$71.95B$0.9997−0.51%8.02%91

Source: ESMA — Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. Regime tags describe an issuer's public registrations, not a rating.

Frequently asked

+ Why did exchanges delist USDT in Europe?

MiCA bars EEA venues from offering e-money tokens whose issuer is not authorised in the EU. Tether did not seek EMT authorisation, so several exchanges restricted EEA users.

+ Does MiCA guarantee my money back?

It gives you an enforceable redemption right at par against the issuer, backed by segregated reserves. It is not a deposit guarantee scheme, so issuer failure can still cost you.