🇦🇹 Austria vs 🇲🇹 Malta: crypto licensing compared
Decision context and regulator route
Austria's public MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) and Malta's public 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). are set out side by side. Licence type, regulator and public recent-change notes are open; the full dated and sourced comparison is included with access.
Austria: verified 2026-08-01 · Malta: verified 2026-08-15
| Dimension |
🇦🇹 Austria
partly open
Verified 2026-08-01
|
🇲🇹 Malta
partly open
Verified 2026-08-15
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 included in the £349 pass. | Malta capital requirement is included in the £349 pass. |
| Timeline to authorisation | Austria timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. | Malta timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. |
| Local substance | Austria local substance is included in the £349 pass. | Malta local substance is included in the £349 pass. |
| Application cost | Austria application cost is included in the £349 pass. | Malta application cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Ongoing cost | Austria ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. | Malta ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Passporting | Austria passporting is included in the £349 pass. | Malta passporting is included in the £349 pass. |
| MiCA CASPs approved | Austria mica casps approved is included in the £349 pass. | Malta mica casps approved is included in the £349 pass. |
| Key restrictions | Austria key restrictions is included in the £349 pass. | Malta 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. | 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 included in the £349 pass. | Malta 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.
🇲🇹 Malta (verified 2026-08-15): 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.