MiCA deadline may push small crypto apps onto licensed custody

BitGo Europe announced a partnership with Warsaw-based Bielik.io to provide regulated custody, trading, onboarding and settlement services to eligible Bielik users as the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) transition period closes on July 1, 2026.

Under the agreement, Bielik will keep its mobile app and customer interface while BitGo Europe supplies the licensed infrastructure that will handle wallets, custody, order execution, settlement, customer verification and transfer flows. Eligible Bielik users are expected to be able to deposit assets, trade supported tokens and use custody services through the Bielik app with BitGo operating the regulated backend.

BitGo Europe markets its Crypto-as-a-Service package to smaller exchanges, fintech firms and wallet providers that must move from national registration regimes to MiCA authorization. The company’s offering includes wallet APIs, onboarding and KYC tools, trading and settlement services, SEPA on- and off-ramps where available, policy controls and custodial insurance subject to terms.

The European Securities and Markets Authority set the MiCA transitional deadline for July 1, 2026 and warned that entities providing crypto-asset services to EU clients without a MiCA license must stop those activities after that date. Platforms that cannot secure a MiCA CASP authorization must either wind down, transfer users, leave the market or rely on a licensed partner to provide regulated services lawfully.

Regulatory guidance limits outsourcing options. ESMA has stated that custody and other critical functions cannot be delegated to entities that are not themselves authorized crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) and cautioned against routing EU customers through unauthorized third-country firms. In practice, custody, onboarding and transfer services performed for EU users must be within the regulatory perimeter that applies to those services.

France’s Autorité des Marchés Financiers lists BitGo Europe GmbH as a Germany-licensed MiCA CASP authorized to provide custody and administration, exchange between crypto and fiat, crypto-to-crypto exchange, order execution and transfer services under free provision of services in France. That passporting mechanism allows a provider authorized in one member state to notify and offer services across the single market within the scope of its license.

Poland is a near-term test of the model. Polish authorities have informed clients of firms on the national virtual-currency activity register that, after July 1, 2026, a domestic register entry will not authorize crypto-asset activity in Poland or abroad and that services will require MiCA authorization. The Polish president did not sign the national crypto-assets act passed on May 15, 2026, leaving some domestic implementation issues unresolved. The Polish Financial Supervision Authority has indicated MiCA-authorized CASPs from other EU states may provide services in Poland under cross-border rules after notifying their home authority without needing a physical presence.

Lithuania ended its CASP transition period on Dec. 31, 2025 and instructed providers that were not continuing to wind down, return client assets or transfer custody to client-designated custodians. At that time roughly 30 companies had applied for a CASP licence, more than 370 had declared crypto services and about 120 were actively operating based on revenues and financial statements.

A platform that outsources custody, onboarding and settlement functions will rely on the license scope, asset support and service availability of its infrastructure provider. Industry participants have noted that if many smaller apps embed a small number of licensed providers, those providers could affect which assets are supported, how quickly users are onboarded, how transfers are monitored and how platforms recover if a provider changes terms or exits a service.

Market participants will be watching whether more European platforms announce similar integrations before and after the July 1 deadline. The pattern of deals will show how some firms preserve front-end access while moving regulated functions to licensed infrastructure.