KuCoin
KuCoin is a crypto exchange that started in 2017 and offers spot trading, margin trading, a crypto card and savings products to customers in many countries. For the European Economic Area the group runs a separate platform under the name KuCoin EU, with its own website, app and euro deposits and withdrawals.
KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH is the operating company in Vienna, and the Austrian Financial Market Authority FMA authorized it on 27 November 2025 as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCA. The platform presented itself at a launch event in Vienna on 28 January 2026 and started with spot trading and local customer support.
Authorization by the FMA
The FMA granted KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH its authorization under Article 63 of the MiCA regulation on 27 November 2025. The authorization covers custody and administration of crypto-assets, the exchange of crypto-assets for funds and for other crypto-assets, the placing of crypto-assets and transfer services for clients.
The interim MiCA register of ESMA lists passports for 28 other countries of the European Economic Area, and Malta is missing from that list. The launch announcement of KuCoin EU names 29 markets in the EEA as well, which counts Austria as the home country and excludes Malta.
FMA decisions in 2026
On 19 February 2026 the FMA banned KuCoin EU from taking on new business, because the posts of the anti-money laundering officer, the sanctions compliance officer and their deputies were no longer filled. After the company had filled these posts again, the FMA lifted the ban on new business on 18 May 2026.
A second decision of 18 February 2026 under the Austrian MiCA enforcement act stays in force according to the same release. The FMA states that the commencement of business operations remains inadmissible until KuCoin EU meets the governance requirements and fills further senior management functions.
The European platform
KuCoin EU announced its launch on 29 January 2026 and named spot trading, euro deposits and withdrawals, local customer support and campaigns only for European users as the first services. The company planned to add further products in phases and to stay within the services that its authorization lists.
Customers in the EEA reach the European service at kucoin.eu, where the homepage quotes pairs such as bitcoin against USDC. Under MiCA a European customer contracts with the Austrian entity, and the FMA in Vienna supervises that entity for every country it serves.
Upcoming blockchain and digital asset events in Germany
KuCoin Europe and the global platform
KuCoin Europe is the common name for the separate EEA platform of the exchange group. The global KuCoin website and the European website kucoin.eu are different services, and only the European one runs under the MiCA authorization of the FMA.
KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH in Vienna
KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH is the Austrian company with the MiCA authorization and its registered office in Vienna. The FMA supervises the company as a crypto-asset service provider and publishes its decisions on the firm, including the measures of February and May 2026.
Which services the MiCA license covers
The KuCoin MiCA license covers five services: custody, exchange against funds, exchange against other crypto-assets, placing and transfers. The register does not list the operation of a trading platform, the execution of orders, advice or portfolio management, and the CASP license under MiCA defines what each of these services means.
Suspension of new customers in 2026
Searches for a KuCoin EU suspension refer to the period from February to May 2026. During those months the FMA ban on new business applied, and KuCoin stated that client assets stayed secure and unaffected while the company recruited the missing compliance officers.
Austria as the home country
KuCoin chose Austria for its European entity, and the FMA in Vienna has authorized several exchanges under MiCA since 2025. Austrian crypto gains follow the rules of crypto tax in Austria, while customers in other EEA countries pay tax under their national rules.
KuCoin EU and Finance Loop
Finance Loop covers crypto exchanges such as KuCoin EU in the Investment & Digital Assets track and the supervision of their compliance functions in the track Risk & Compliance. Finance Loop brings compliance officers, bankers and fintech founders together at its crypto events in Frankfurt and in other European cities.
Finance Loop is a professional network and has the goal of driving the institutional use of emerging technologies in finance, such as AI, tokenization, stablecoins, and DeFi. Finance Loop helps its members build skills and personal networks in these fields: Investment & Digital Assets, Payments & Digital Money, Digital Infrastructure & Sovereignty, and Risk & Compliance.