🇫🇷 France vs 🇱🇹 Lithuania: crypto licensing compared
Choosing between France and Lithuania for a crypto licence starts with who you will answer to: AMF (Autorite des marches financiers) grants and supervises the CASP authorisation; ACPR (Banque de France) gives binding assent on AML/CFT and prudential aspects via a joint examination team. on one side, Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas) - single competent authority. Publicly selective stance: wants few, solid firms rather than the ~370-strong legacy VASP pool. on the other, via the MiCA CASP authorisation (French 'agrement PSCA'); replaces the legacy PSAN regime (mandatory AML registration + optional licence). A single authorisation covers the 10 MiCA services. and the MiCA Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorisation under Title V of Reg (EU) 2023/1114; replaced the national VASP registration. Single passportable licence covering the services applied for. respectively. The two regimes differ on 5 of 9 tracked decision dimensions, including local substance and application cost. Every figure behind the comparison carries a last-verified date and a primary source.
France: verified 2026-07-03 · Lithuania: verified 2026-07-01
| Dimension |
🇫🇷 France
partly open
Verified 2026-07-03
|
🇱🇹 Lithuania
partly open
Verified 2026-07-01
|
|---|---|---|
| Licence type | MiCA CASP authorisation (French 'agrement PSCA'); replaces the legacy PSAN regime (mandatory AML registration + optional licence). A single authorisation covers the 10 MiCA services. | MiCA Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorisation under Title V of Reg (EU) 2023/1114; replaced the national VASP registration. Single passportable licence covering the services applied for. |
| Regulator | AMF (Autorite des marches financiers) grants and supervises the CASP authorisation; ACPR (Banque de France) gives binding assent on AML/CFT and prudential aspects via a joint examination team. | Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas) - single competent authority. Publicly selective stance: wants few, solid firms rather than the ~370-strong legacy VASP pool. |
| Capital requirement | France capital requirement is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Lithuania capital requirement is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Timeline to authorisation | France timeline to authorisation is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Lithuania timeline to authorisation is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Local substance | France local substance is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Lithuania local substance is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Application cost | France application cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Lithuania application cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Ongoing cost | France ongoing cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Lithuania ongoing cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Passporting | France passporting is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Lithuania passporting is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| MiCA CASPs approved | France mica casps approved is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Lithuania mica casps approved is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Key restrictions | France key restrictions is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Lithuania key restrictions is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Recent changes | France used the full 18-month transition, ending 1 Jul 2026 (today). Deblock first CASP (May 2025), SG-Forge (Oct 2025); ~18 CASPs authorised by 28 May 2026. AMF adopted ESMA staff knowledge/competence guidelines (Mar 2026). | Lithuania used a shortened 12-month grandfathering - legacy VASP cover ended 1 Jan 2026 (vs the EU 1 Jul 2026 backstop). First CASP: Robinhood Europe (29 May 2025); only ~4 CASPs authorised by Mar 2026. |
| Difficulty rating | France difficulty rating is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Lithuania difficulty rating is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
The two regimes differ on 5 of 9 tracked decision dimensions, including local substance and application cost. Unlock the pass to see each figure with its source and verification date.
What changed recently
🇫🇷 France (verified 2026-07-01): France used the full 18-month transition, ending 1 Jul 2026 (today). Deblock first CASP (May 2025), SG-Forge (Oct 2025); ~18 CASPs authorised by 28 May 2026. AMF adopted ESMA staff knowledge/competence guidelines (Mar 2026).
🇱🇹 Lithuania (verified 2026-07-01): Lithuania used a shortened 12-month grandfathering - legacy VASP cover ended 1 Jan 2026 (vs the EU 1 Jul 2026 backstop). First CASP: Robinhood Europe (29 May 2025); only ~4 CASPs authorised by Mar 2026.
Quick answers
Who regulates crypto licensing in France and Lithuania?
France: AMF (Autorite des marches financiers) grants and supervises the CASP authorisation; ACPR (Banque de France) gives binding assent on AML/CFT and prudential aspects via a joint examination team.. Lithuania: Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas) - single competent authority. Publicly selective stance: wants few, solid firms rather than the ~370-strong legacy VASP pool..
What licence do you need in France compared with Lithuania?
In France the authorisation route is MiCA CASP authorisation (French 'agrement PSCA'); replaces the legacy PSAN regime (mandatory AML registration + optional licence). A single authorisation covers the 10 MiCA services.; in Lithuania it is MiCA Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorisation under Title V of Reg (EU) 2023/1114; replaced the national VASP registration. Single passportable licence covering the services applied for.. The comparison table on this page lines the two up dimension by dimension.
Where can I see the full France vs Lithuania 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/france-vs-lithuania.
Informational only, not legal advice. Every open figure carries its own verification date; verify with qualified counsel before acting.