- Circle France has received AMF approval to provide crypto-asset services under MiCA.
- The authorization lets Circle France offer custody and transfer services for USDC and EURC across the European Economic Area.
Circle France received approval from the Autorité des marchés financiers on April 20, 2026. The authorization allows the company to provide custody and transfer services for crypto-assets linked to the stablecoins it issues, USDC and EURC, in accordance with Article 60(4) of MiCA.
That sounds technical, but the practical point is simple. Circle France can now offer these services to customers across the European Economic Area through a regulated European structure. This matters because MiCA is turning stablecoin activity in Europe from a loose cross-border market into a licensed financial sector.
Circle is already described as the largest regulated e-money token issuer under MiCA in the EU. The French approval strengthens that position at a time when stablecoin issuers are being pushed to prove not only liquidity and adoption, but also local compliance, governance and operational resilience.
For USDC, the approval supports its role as a dollar-denominated stablecoin used in trading, payments and settlement. For EURC, it is more strategically European. A regulated euro stablecoin gives institutions, fintechs and crypto platforms a clearer path to build euro-based on-chain payment and treasury products without relying only on dollar liquidity.
Europe’s stablecoin market is becoming a licensing race
Dante Disparte, Circle’s chief strategy officer and head of global policy and operations, said the approval reflects the company’s commitment to working within European regulatory frameworks and supporting trusted digital financial infrastructure in France and across the EU.
The timing is not accidental. MiCA has created one of the clearest rulebooks for crypto-assets globally, especially for stablecoins. Issuers face requirements around reserves, disclosures, redemption rights and supervision. That gives regulated firms a route to operate, but it also raises the pressure on companies that previously served European users from offshore entities.
For the wider market, Circle France’s approval shows where stablecoin competition in Europe is heading. It will not be decided only by exchange listings or offshore liquidity. Licenses, local entities, banking relationships and regulatory credibility are becoming part of the product itself.
In that sense, Circle’s latest approval is less a headline about one company and more a signal of the new European stablecoin order. USDC and EURC now sit inside a more formal framework, and rivals will have to meet the same standard if they want serious access to European users.
