🇦🇹 Austria vs 🇱🇺 Luxembourg: crypto licensing compared
Decision context and regulator route
Choosing between Austria and Luxembourg for a crypto licence starts with who you will answer to: Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA) Österreich on one side, Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) on the other, via the MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) and the MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) respectively. The public fields are shown below, with the full dated and sourced comparison included with access.
Austria: verified 2026-08-01 · Luxembourg: verified 2026-07-10
| Dimension |
🇦🇹 Austria
partly open
Verified 2026-08-01
|
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
partly open
Verified 2026-07-10
|
|---|---|---|
| Licence type | MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) | MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) |
| Regulator | Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA) Österreich | Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) |
| Capital requirement | Austria capital requirement is included in the £349 pass. | Luxembourg capital requirement is included in the £349 pass. |
| Timeline to authorisation | Austria timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. | Luxembourg timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. |
| Local substance | Austria local substance is included in the £349 pass. | Luxembourg local substance is included in the £349 pass. |
| Application cost | Austria application cost is included in the £349 pass. | Luxembourg application cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Ongoing cost | Austria ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. | Luxembourg ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Passporting | Austria passporting is included in the £349 pass. | Luxembourg passporting is included in the £349 pass. |
| MiCA CASPs approved | Austria mica casps approved is included in the £349 pass. | Luxembourg mica casps approved is included in the £349 pass. |
| Key restrictions | Austria key restrictions is included in the £349 pass. | Luxembourg key restrictions is included in the £349 pass. |
| Recent changes | Austria set 30 June 2026 as the end of its transitional regime (shorter runway than the EU default 1 July 2026 deadline), creating pressure for existing FM-GwG registered VASPs to secure full CASP authorisation; Bybit reported as licensed in Austria per exchange-tracking source OSL EU GmbH was authorised on 7 July 2026 (per ESMA's interim register), the eleventh Austrian CASP. | Rapid growth in H1 2026: as of 30 June 2026, 11 active CASPs including B2C2 Europe, Banking Circle, Bitstamp Europe, Bridge Building, Clearstream Banking, Coinbase Luxembourg, Stokr, Standard Chartered Luxembourg, Swissquote Bank Europe, Zodia Custody Europe and BitFlyer; BitFlyer authorised 26 June 2026, Stokr 22 June 2026, Bridge Building 29 June 2026, all just before the transitional deadline expired on 1 July 2026 |
| Difficulty rating | Austria difficulty rating is included in the £349 pass. | Luxembourg difficulty rating is included in the £349 pass. |
Unlock the pass to see each gated figure with its source and verification date.
What changed recently
🇦🇹 Austria (verified 2026-08-01): Austria set 30 June 2026 as the end of its transitional regime (shorter runway than the EU default 1 July 2026 deadline), creating pressure for existing FM-GwG registered VASPs to secure full CASP authorisation; Bybit reported as licensed in Austria per exchange-tracking source OSL EU GmbH was authorised on 7 July 2026 (per ESMA's interim register), the eleventh Austrian CASP.
🇱🇺 Luxembourg (verified 2026-07-10): Rapid growth in H1 2026: as of 30 June 2026, 11 active CASPs including B2C2 Europe, Banking Circle, Bitstamp Europe, Bridge Building, Clearstream Banking, Coinbase Luxembourg, Stokr, Standard Chartered Luxembourg, Swissquote Bank Europe, Zodia Custody Europe and BitFlyer; BitFlyer authorised 26 June 2026, Stokr 22 June 2026, Bridge Building 29 June 2026, all just before the transitional deadline expired on 1 July 2026
Quick answers
Who regulates crypto licensing in Austria and Luxembourg?
Austria: Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA) Österreich. Luxembourg: Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF).
What licence do you need in Austria compared with Luxembourg?
In Austria the authorisation route is MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA); in Luxembourg it is MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF). The comparison table on this page lines the two up dimension by dimension.
Where can I see the full Austria vs Luxembourg comparison?
The interactive benchmark lets you pin either jurisdiction and add up to five peers; a Founder Pass or Pro subscription unlocks every gated figure with its source and verification date. This page stays free at /crypto/compare/austria-vs-luxembourg.
Informational only, not legal advice. Every open figure carries its own verification date; verify with qualified counsel before acting.