On July 7, the European Parliament approved its official position on further regulation of digital assets. The adopted report, "Digital Assets – Challenges for the Competitiveness and Integrity of the EU Financial System," serves as a political manifesto but does not introduce direct amendments to the MiCA regulation or create new legal obligations for market participants.

The main signal of the document is that the regulator intends to close the gaps left outside the current legislation. Parliamentarians call for the development of clear rules for sectors that are still in a "gray zone":

  • Decentralized Finance (DeFi);
  • Crypto lending and borrowing;
  • Staking;
  • Non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

This decision is a logical continuation of the events of July 1, when the MiCA transitional period ended, and all crypto companies in the EU moved to mandatory licensing. Politicians aim to prevent fragmentation of the single market, where individual bloc countries begin to create their own local rules.

At the same time, regulators noted positive aspects. The European Parliament supported the development of tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) and the use of euro stablecoins, emphasizing that with a competent approach, these instruments can enhance the competitiveness of the EU's financial system.

The key date is May 2026. That is when the EP opens public consultations on a possible expansion of MiCA. The goal is to gather feedback on potential changes: including additional types of crypto activities and revising restrictions related to yield-bearing stablecoins.

Binance's Position: Playing Ahead of the Curve

Against this backdrop, on June 24, Binance withdrew its application for a MiCA license in Greece. The exchange stated its intention to obtain authorization in another EU country without disclosing the specific jurisdiction.

On July 4, Binance co-CEO Richard Teng clarified: "Binance is not leaving Europe and is not abandoning MiCA. Europe remains an important market, and we are committed to finding a constructive path through proper channels." He emphasized that the EU has the opportunity to become a global leader in digital asset regulation, but this requires predictable and consistent implementation of rules.

Recall that on June 29, the Bybit exchange also warned about a phased restriction of some services for residents of the European Economic Area.

Analytical commentary: Expanding MiCA to DeFi and NFTs is an inevitable but extremely complex step. Decentralized protocols inherently resist traditional regulatory frameworks, and an attempt to "squeeze" them into the existing licensing model could lead to a mass exodus of innovative projects from the EU. The key question for 2026 is whether Brussels can find a balance between control and fostering development, or whether we will witness another phase of regulatory arbitrage in favor of more lenient jurisdictions.