France Sets Final MiCA Deadline — Crypto Firms Must Be Authorized or Exit by 1 July 2026

France’s financial regulator, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), has issued a final warning that the MiCA transitional window ends on 1 July 2026. Crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) operating in France must obtain MiCA authorisation or cease offering services in France after that date. The AMF reports roughly 90 digital-asset firms active in France remain unlicensed; about 30% have applied for authorisation, 40% say they will not seek licences, and roughly 30% have not responded to outreach. MiCA allows an 18-month transitional operation period that started when the regime came fully into force on 30 December 2024 — the deadline for applications or exit is 30 June / 1 July 2026. Firms that fail to apply in time or fail authorisation must stop EU operations; ESMA has warned national regulators to prepare for orderly wind-downs to avoid market disorder. The AMF emphasises common application errors and notes ESMA expects review timelines up to four months — traders and firms should submit complete applications early to avoid delays. Two compliance routes exist: direct CASP authorisation from the AMF or notification under MiCA Article 60 for eligible financial entities. Non-compliant operators risk fines, public blacklisting and blocked website access; the AMF publishes a whitelist of authorised providers. For traders, key risks are service interruptions, sudden liquidity shifts and market fragmentation if exchanges or wallets suspend operations in France. Conversely, MiCA authorisation should increase regulatory clarity and could improve long-term market confidence for compliant providers.