EBA pushes for MiCA expansion as EU targets crypto lending risks - 150sec

The European Banking Authority is calling for the scope of the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation to be expanded, as EU authorities turn their attention to risks tied to crypto lending. The push reflects a broader supervisory concern: much of the activity in crypto lending and related yield products currently sits outside MiCA's perimeter, leaving gaps in how those risks are monitored and managed across the bloc.

For market participants, the signal matters less as an immediate rule change and more as a direction of travel. MiCA was designed primarily around issuance and trading of crypto-assets, so extending it toward lending would touch business models that rely on intermediating customer assets. The EBA's stance suggests EU policymakers may look to bring more of that activity under a consistent licensing and disclosure framework.

What to watch: how EU institutions respond to the EBA's recommendation, whether formal legislative proposals follow, and how the timing interacts with existing MiCA implementation deadlines. Any expansion would likely be phased, giving firms time to assess whether their offerings fall inside or outside the revised perimeter.