🇦🇹 Austria vs 🇲🇹 Malta: crypto licensing compared
On paper, Austria's MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) and Malta's MiCA CASP authorisation under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Act (Cap. 647); replaces the legacy VFA licence (VFA Act 2018) via a fast-track conversion. Malta granted one of the EU's first full CASP licences (Jan 2025). answer the same question; in practice the detail decides it. The two regimes differ on 6 of 9 tracked decision dimensions, including timeline to authorisation and local substance. This page compares the two side by side: the identity columns are free, the decision figures are one pass away, and every cell shows when it was last checked.
Austria: verified 2026-07-03 · Malta: verified 2026-07-03
| Dimension |
🇦🇹 Austria
partly open
Verified 2026-07-03
|
🇲🇹 Malta
partly open
Verified 2026-07-03
|
|---|---|---|
| Licence type | MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) | MiCA CASP authorisation under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Act (Cap. 647); replaces the legacy VFA licence (VFA Act 2018) via a fast-track conversion. Malta granted one of the EU's first full CASP licences (Jan 2025). |
| Regulator | Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA) Österreich | Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) - single competent authority; a long-standing crypto supervisor since the 2018 VFA regime. |
| Capital requirement | Austria capital requirement is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta capital requirement is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Timeline to authorisation | Austria timeline to authorisation is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta timeline to authorisation is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Local substance | Austria local substance is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta local substance is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Application cost | Austria application cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta application cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Ongoing cost | Austria ongoing cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta ongoing cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Passporting | Austria passporting is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta passporting is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| MiCA CASPs approved | Austria mica casps approved is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta mica casps approved is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Key restrictions | Austria key restrictions is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta key restrictions is locked. Unlock with 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 | First-mover: Crypto.com licensed 27 Jan 2025; ~13 CASPs now authorised (OKX, Gemini, Gate, Blockchain.com). ESMA's 10 Jul 2025 peer review criticised the MFSA's authorisation of one CASP, tightening scrutiny. Transition ends 1 Jul 2026. |
| Difficulty rating | Austria difficulty rating is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta difficulty rating is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
The two regimes differ on 6 of 9 tracked decision dimensions, including timeline to authorisation and local substance. Unlock the pass to see each figure with its source and verification date.
What changed recently
🇦🇹 Austria (verified 2026-07-02): 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
🇲🇹 Malta (verified 2026-07-01): First-mover: Crypto.com licensed 27 Jan 2025; ~13 CASPs now authorised (OKX, Gemini, Gate, Blockchain.com). ESMA's 10 Jul 2025 peer review criticised the MFSA's authorisation of one CASP, tightening scrutiny. Transition ends 1 Jul 2026.
Quick answers
Who regulates crypto licensing in Austria and Malta?
Austria: Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA) Österreich. Malta: Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) - single competent authority; a long-standing crypto supervisor since the 2018 VFA regime..
What licence do you need in Austria compared with Malta?
In Austria the authorisation route is MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA); in Malta it is MiCA CASP authorisation under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Act (Cap. 647); replaces the legacy VFA licence (VFA Act 2018) via a fast-track conversion. Malta granted one of the EU's first full CASP licences (Jan 2025).. The comparison table on this page lines the two up dimension by dimension.
Where can I see the full Austria vs Malta 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-malta.
Informational only, not legal advice. Every open figure carries its own verification date; verify with qualified counsel before acting.