Crypto: What Happens As Europe Enforces Mica And The Us Delays Crypto Rules
As the US delays crypto laws and Europe enforces MiCA, markets face regulatory gaps, capital shifts and uneven compliance costs for global firms.
Europe has moved from drafting to enforcing crypto rules under MiCA, giving companies clear timelines, licensing paths and compliance milestones across all EU member states.
The US still relies on a multi-agency, enforcement-led framework, with major questions about token classification and market structure waiting on new federal legislation.
MiCA’s single-license model allows crypto firms to operate across the EU after approval in one country, encouraging companies to base early expansion strategies in Europe.
Unclear asset classification in the US makes exchanges more cautious about listings and staking, while MiCA’s categories reduce legal uncertainty despite higher compliance costs.
At the global level, two major economic blocs, the US and Europe, are taking very different approaches to crypto regulation.
On one side, the European Union has moved from drafting rules to active enforcement. The Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) has entered into force in phases. It already covers crypto asset service providers and market abuse, while the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) aims to integrate its interim MiCA register into formal regulatory systems.
On the other side, the regulatory framework in the US shows some progress but still lacks a single, full-fledged framework. The regulatory environment remains unclear and has been shaped largely by enforcement actions from multiple agencies.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) oversee securities, commodities, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and tax matters, respectively. States also license money transmitters, creating a complex, multi-agency structure.
This article explores how crypto rules have progressed in Europe and the US, how companies build, list and scale across both economic blocs, and the secondary effects of evolving crypto regulation in these regions.
Source: CoinTelegraph
