Austria Fines Bitpanda 70,000 Euros in First MiCA Crypto Penalty

Austria's Financial Market Authority fined Bitpanda €70,000 ($80,304) on Aug. 14 for missing MiCA's crypto-whitepaper requirements, the first legally binding penalty under the European Union's Markets in Crypto Assets framework, the regulator said.

The FMA said Bitpanda failed to notify the regulator of a cryptocurrency whitepaper at least 20 days before the token was admitted to trading, a duty under MiCA Article 8. The regulator also cited a marketing notice that went out before the required whitepaper had been published.

Bitpanda, based in Vienna, was among the first exchanges to receive MiCA licences. Germany's Bafin granted one in January 2025, and Austria's FMA granted another in April 2025. The fine landed six weeks after the grandfathering period for full MiCA implementation ended on July 1.

“MiCAR serves to create a uniform legal framework for crypto assets across the Union and aims in particular to protect investors and ensure the integrity of the crypto markets,” the FMA said. The regulator described the penalty as legally binding and said MiCA “has also arrived in enforcement,” adding that it is “no longer just a concession and supervisory issue.”