Estonia CASP register 2026: check a crypto firm

28 September 2026 · updated 30 October 2026 · Business blog · Estonia, MiCA

Estonia’s crypto licence register changed on 1 July 2026. The virtual currency licences issued by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) stopped giving the right to operate that day, and Finantsinspektsioon announced that the FIU would cancel their register data. Since then a firm may provide crypto-asset services in Estonia only with a MiCA authorisation from Finantsinspektsioon or from the supervisor of another EEA state. To check a firm, use two sources: Finantsinspektsioon’s list of crypto-asset service providers and ESMA’s interim MiCA register. Below: where to find them, how to read an entry and what an expired FIU licence means for clients and partners. Planning to apply? Fees, own funds and the regulator’s clock are on the service page: crypto licence in Estonia: cost and timeline.

What happened to Estonian crypto licences on 1 July 2026

Since 1 July 2026, crypto-asset services in Estonia may only be provided by companies authorised under MiCA by Finantsinspektsioon or by the supervisor of another EEA state. Finantsinspektsioon announced that the FIU would cancel the register data of the virtual currency service provider licences on that day. Estonia had used the full 18-month grandfathering period allowed by Article 143(3) of MiCA (ESMA list of grandfathering periods).

The numbers show how far the market has shrunk. According to the head of the FIU, there were 641 valid licences in mid-2021 and 36 at the start of 2026. Finantsinspektsioon had granted one CASP authorisation by 30 June 2026, to Lightspark Payments Europe AS, while AS LHV Pank and Lightyear Europe AS may also provide crypto-asset services; other providers serve Estonia cross-border on authorisations from other EEA states (Finantsinspektsioon, 30 June 2026).

MiCA allowed member states a simplified procedure for holders of national licences only for applications filed by 1 July 2026 (Article 143(6)). A former FIU licence holder filing today goes through the standard procedure of Articles 62 and 63.

Where to check an Estonian crypto company in 2026

1. Finantsinspektsioon’s list of crypto-asset service providers. The regulator lists providers authorised in Estonia and, separately, cross-border providers authorised in other EEA states that notified their services to Estonia. On 26 October 2026 the Estonian part showed Lightspark Payments Europe AS (Finantsinspektsioon register).
2. ESMA’s interim MiCA register. ESMA publishes the central register of crypto-asset service providers under Article 109 of MiCA as CSV files updated weekly; a separate file lists entities that provide crypto-asset services without authorisation (Article 110). The CASP file we downloaded on 26 October 2026 has three records with Estonia as home member state: Lightyear Europe AS, AS LHV Pank and Lightspark Payments Europe AS (ESMA interim MiCA register).
3. The home regulator of a passported firm. A firm authorised in Malta, Lithuania or another EEA state is checked in that state’s register as well. Our guide to the MiCA CASP register lists them and explains each field.

How to read an entry

• Legal basis. In ESMA’s file, «Article 63» marks a CASP authorisation and «Article 60» marks a bank, investment firm or other regulated financial entity that notified its regulator before providing crypto-asset services.
• Services. Each record lists service codes from (a) custody and administration to (j) transfer services. The authorisation covers the services listed.
• Countries. The member states where the firm may provide those services.
• End date. When an authorisation is withdrawn, ESMA keeps the record and shows the date the withdrawal took effect.

What an expired FIU licence means for clients and partners

A company that held an FIU licence and has no MiCA authorisation may not provide crypto-asset services in Estonia since 1 July 2026. ESMA’s public statement of 23 June 2026 sets the expectations for such firms: stop onboarding EU clients and all marketing, limit services to what clients need to sell, transfer or close positions, and keep custody only for the period strictly necessary for an orderly exit (ESMA public statement). Finantsinspektsioon adds that firms still waiting for a decision must limit their activity until the final decision.

For a client, the practical question is where the assets are held and how they will be transferred. For a bank, payment partner or exchange, an FIU licence number in a counterparty’s documents shows a status that ended on 1 July 2026: ask for the MiCA authorisation and check it in the registers above.

Estonian crypto regulation in brief

• Regulator: Finantsinspektsioon, the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority, for crypto-asset services under MiCA.
• Rulebook: Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA), the same in every member state (EUR-Lex).
• Filing: through the Finantsinspektsioon application portal, mandatory since 18 March 2026; the application itself is in Estonian, supporting documents may be in English if the application says so.
• Firms outside the EU: ESMA reminds them that they may not provide MiCA services to EU clients or solicit them, business-to-business included, apart from the narrow reverse solicitation exception (ESMA statement of 17 April 2026).

Fees, own funds, the step-by-step application and how long it takes are on our page crypto licence in Estonia: cost and timeline; buying a company that already holds an authorisation is covered there too. For the EU-wide view, see the MiCA CASP licence in the EU.