French regulatory authorities have granted approvals to foreign cryptocurrency firms as 2023 comes to a close. On December 21, licenses were awarded to crypto exchange Coinbase and stablecoin issuer Circle. Coinbase has obtained the Virtual Assets Service Provider (VASP) authorization from France’s financial regulator, allowing the company to custody digital assets and offer crypto trading in the country. Circle, on the other hand, received a conditional registration as a Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) and is still awaiting approval as a Payment Services Provider (PSP). These approvals come amidst a year of significant regulatory changes and legal challenges for crypto firms. While the European Union has enforced the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA), the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken a tougher stance on crypto businesses. Coinbase, for instance, has been sued by the SEC for listing and trading crypto tokens that the regulator believes should be treated as securities. Coinbase is seeking regulatory clarity and has appealed the SEC’s decision.

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Information	Details
Geography	Europe
Countries	🇫🇷 🇺🇸
Sentiment	neutral
Relevance Score	1
People	None
Companies	United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), Circle, European Union, Coinbase
Currencies	US Dollar, Ethereum, Bitcoin
Securities	None