🇫🇷 France vs 🇱🇹 Lithuania: crypto licensing compared
Decision context and regulator route
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 public fields are shown below, with the full dated and sourced comparison included with access.
France: verified 2026-08-15 · Lithuania: verified 2026-08-15
| Dimension |
🇫🇷 France
partly open
Verified 2026-08-15
|
🇱🇹 Lithuania
partly open
Verified 2026-08-15
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 included in the £349 pass. | Lithuania capital requirement is included in the £349 pass. |
| Timeline to authorisation | France timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. | Lithuania timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. |
| Local substance | France local substance is included in the £349 pass. | Lithuania local substance is included in the £349 pass. |
| Application cost | France application cost is included in the £349 pass. | Lithuania application cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Ongoing cost | France ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. | Lithuania ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Passporting | France passporting is included in the £349 pass. | Lithuania passporting is included in the £349 pass. |
| MiCA CASPs approved | France mica casps approved is included in the £349 pass. | Lithuania mica casps approved is included in the £349 pass. |
| Key restrictions | France key restrictions is included in the £349 pass. | Lithuania key restrictions is included in 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 included in the £349 pass. | Lithuania difficulty rating is included in the £349 pass. |
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What changed recently
🇫🇷 France (verified 2026-08-15): 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 2026-08-15): 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.