Pin and benchmark
Pin the jurisdiction you are leaning towards, then line up to 5 rivals against it. Every unlocked figure shows where a peer beats it or loses to it on capital, timeline, cost and difficulty, so one screen tells you whether your first choice actually holds up.
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| Dimension |
Pinned 🇨🇾 Cyprus partly open Verified 2026-07-03
|
🇮🇪 Ireland
partly open
Verified 2026-07-03
|
|---|---|---|
| Licence type | MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by CySEC; existing Cyprus Investment Firms (CIFs) can extend their licence to cover crypto-asset services under a simplified process | MiCA CASP authorisation granted by the Central Bank of Ireland; replaces the legacy VASP registration (CJA 2010, AML). No simplified VASP->CASP conversion - all applicants face the full process. |
| Regulator | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) - sole National Competent Authority for MiCA in Cyprus | Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) - sole competent authority; runs an Innovation Hub. Known as a demanding, gatekeeper-style regulator. |
| Capital requirement | Cyprus capital requirement is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Ireland capital requirement is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Timeline to authorisation | Cyprus timeline to authorisation is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Ireland timeline to authorisation is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Local substance | Cyprus local substance is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Ireland local substance is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Application cost | Cyprus application cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Ireland application cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Ongoing cost | Cyprus ongoing cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Ireland ongoing cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Passporting | Cyprus passporting is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Ireland passporting is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| MiCA CASPs approved | Cyprus mica casps approved is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Ireland mica casps approved is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Key restrictions | Cyprus key restrictions is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Ireland key restrictions is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Recent changes | CySEC set a hard 27 February 2026 deadline for existing national-regime CASPs to submit MiCA applications; preliminary assessment phase opened 13 Nov 2024, formal applications from 1 Jan 2025; national transitional regime and full MiCA regime now running in parallel toward the 1 July 2026 EU-wide cutover | Transitional period ended 30 Dec 2025 (12 months; simplified route declined). ~10 CASPs authorised by late 2025 (Kraken Jun 2025, Coinbase, StoneX 10th). Revised Consumer Protection Code from 24 Mar 2026. |
| Difficulty rating | Cyprus difficulty rating is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Ireland difficulty rating is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
Informational only, not legal advice. A delta compares the sortable figure only (capital, timeline, cost, difficulty, passporting, approvals); it is not a judgement on overall suitability. Verify with qualified counsel before acting.