The Swiss banking group AMINA has become the first crypto bank to obtain a MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) license in Europe through its Austrian subsidiary, AMINA AG.
The license was issued by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), paving the way for the launch of regulated crypto trading, custody, portfolio management, and staking services for professional investors, the statement said.
“AMINA EU’s receipt of a MiCA CASP [crypto asset service provider] license further demonstrates AMINA Group’s commitment to the highest regulatory standards and to meeting the growing global demand for trusted crypto services,” said Franz Bergmueller, CEO of AMINA Bank.
He added that the company owes its success to its international presence:
“Together with our licenses in Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Abu Dhabi, this milestone enables us to offer clients global and market leading service through operations built for scale, security, and long-term success.”
Austria was chosen as the starting point for the European expansion due to its “regulatory excellence and strong commitment to investor protection.” AMINA EU has already announced operations in 13 European countries and plans to expand to more than 30 markets across the continent.
Eckehard Stolz, Director of AMINA EU, said:
“Professional investors in Europe are seeking secure, regulated access to crypto, and we’re meeting that demand with the launch of AMINA’s European operations in Austria. By combining Swiss banking DNA and deep expertise with Austrian regulatory strength, we are building the trusted infrastructure to bridge traditional finance and crypto.”
AMINA EU has been authorized to provide a wide range of crypto asset services, including custody, exchange of crypto assets for fiat or other crypto assets, transfers, and portfolio management.
Bergmueller told CoinDesk that the company already serves digital asset trusts (DATs) and has been working with tokenization for a long time:
“We offer everything from bank accounts to crypto-bank loans, all done in a regulated way. […] we started doing tokenization years ago — our gold token product is skyrocketing at the moment.”
In his opinion, Austria is one of the best platforms for the development of the crypto industry within the EU:
“I can tell you the FMA in Vienna has the highest standards you can imagine.”
Bergmueller also praised the emergence of a single regulatory framework for digital assets in the EU:
“Three years back, I was positively shocked that Europe could agree on crypto. And actually I think they have not done a bad job defining everything. Of course, it’s a super-young industry and there will be new tech developments. It’s a constant development.”
AMINA has joined the list of companies that were the first to be licensed under MiCA, along with Bybit, Coinbase, Kraken, Bitvavo, and Gemini, which received permits in Austria, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Malta, respectively.