MiCA Article 60: crypto services by notification
Article 60 of MiCA lets financial firms that already hold a license under EU law offer crypto-asset services after a notification to their supervisor, without a separate MiCA authorization. Banks use it to bring bitcoin and ether to their customers, and e-money institutions use it for their own stablecoins. Dated events are in the calendar below.
Who may notify, and for which services
The text of Article 60 names six groups. Credit institutions may provide any crypto-asset service. Central securities depositories may offer custody and administration of crypto-assets. Investment firms may provide the crypto services that match their investment license, such as order execution, a trading platform or portfolio management. E-money institutions may hold and transfer the e-money tokens they issue themselves. UCITS management companies and alternative investment fund managers may offer portfolio management, advice and order transmission. Market operators may run a trading platform for crypto-assets.
For payments the e-money route is the relevant one: an institution that issues a euro stablecoin can hold and transfer it for clients without a separate license. The page on e-money tokens explains that category.
Timing and the notification file
The firm notifies its supervisor at least 40 working days before it provides a service for the first time. The file covers eleven items, among them the program of operations, anti-money laundering controls, ICT security, segregation of client assets, the custody policy, the execution policy and the transfer service. The supervisor has 20 working days to check completeness, and the firm may not start while the file is incomplete. Firms that notify are exempt from the authorization articles 62, 63, 64 and 67 and from articles 83 and 84, and the right lapses when the underlying license is withdrawn.
ESMA's Q&A adds two points: a credit institution can provide any crypto-asset service on the basis of a notification but must supply the full information, which can be hard for a service such as custody that it has never offered; and the notification does not override national banking law.
Article 60 in Germany
BaFin's guidance, summarized by PayTechLaw, ties the equivalent services to German licenses under the Banking Act, the Investment Firm Act and the Capital Investment Code; credit institutions under the CRR may provide all the services they notify. BaFin confirmed the notification of Sutor Bank in Hamburg for executing crypto orders on December 18, 2025, as IT Finanzmagazin (in German) reported.
The cooperative banks use the same route in large numbers: each Volksbank that offers meinKrypto files its own notification, while DZ BANK holds the MiCA authorization for the platform. A firm without such a license needs the full CASP license, and the page on MiCA in Germany covers BaFin's process.
Upcoming crypto regulation events in Germany
MiCA compliance at Finance Loop
Finance Loop's page on crypto compliance training lists courses for compliance teams, and custody and MiCAR compliance were on the program of the Forum für Digitale Vermögenswerte, where Finance Loop was a partner. EXPERT KEY, a knowledge partner of Finance Loop, trains bank and savings bank staff on the topic.
Risk & Compliance
Payments & Digital Money
Investment & Digital Assets
What is MiCA Article 60?
The article of the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation that lets already licensed financial firms offer crypto-asset services after a notification to their supervisor, without a separate MiCA authorization.
Do banks need a CASP license under MiCA?
No. A credit institution can provide any crypto-asset service after notifying its supervisor under Article 60, provided it submits the full file.
How early must a firm notify?
At least 40 working days before it provides a crypto-asset service for the first time. The supervisor then has 20 working days to check that the file is complete.
MiCA Article 60 and Finance Loop
Finance Loop covers MiCA and the permissions of banks in its Risk & Compliance track and e-money tokens in its Payments & Digital Money track. Finance Loop's knowledge partner EXPERT KEY trains bank staff, and Finance Loop runs events on crypto regulation in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Hamburg.
Finance Loop is a professional network and has the goal of driving the adoption of emerging technologies in finance, such as AI, digital payments, cloud and blockchain solutions. 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.