EU MiCA Transition Ends… Bitpanda CEO Claims Licensed Exchanges Are Trustworthy

EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) transitional period for existing operators ended no later than July 1, 2026, and Bitpanda co-CEO Christian Trummer said in an interview published October 2 that users increasingly trust regulated trading platforms over self-custody, preferring custody services from licensed providers. Trummer argued that supervisory enforcement should be strengthened against operators serving EU customers without authorization, a view that underscores how the post-transition landscape is expected to favor licensed exchanges like Bitpanda as compliance becomes a competitive differentiator. The shift matters because it could consolidate trading volume and custody assets toward authorized platforms while squeezing out unlicensed competitors. What to watch next: how EU regulators ramp up enforcement actions against non-authorized providers and whether user migration to regulated venues accelerates across the bloc.