Key Highlights
- Austria’s FMA fined Bitpanda €70,000 on August 14 for violating MiCA disclosure and marketing rules.
- Bitpanda missed MiCA’s 20-day white paper deadline before publication, Austria’s FMA said.
- Bitpanda marketed a crypto asset before publishing its required MiCA white paper, the FMA said.
- The FMA said Bitpanda’s €70,000 MiCA penalty is final; its Austrian authorization remains in place.
Austria’s financial regulator has fined crypto platform Bitpanda GmbH €70,000 for violating the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) Regulation, in a decision that marks Austria’s first published legally binding penalty decision under MiCA.
The Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) announced the sanction on August 14, saying Bitpanda breached rules governing crypto-asset white papers and marketing communications. The FMA stated that the penalty order is final.
The FMA’s stated findings concern white-paper and marketing requirements under MiCA. The regulator did not identify investor losses, withdrawal problems or custody issues in its announcement.
MiCA rules breached
Under MiCA, crypto-asset providers must submit the relevant white paper to the competent authority at least 20 working days before it is published. The FMA said Bitpanda failed to meet that deadline. The regulator cited Articles 8(1) and 8(5) of MiCA in its decision. The company also distributed a marketing communication before the required crypto-asset white paper had been published, creating a second breach of the European framework.
The regulator did not identify the crypto-asset involved or disclose the publication dates of the white paper and marketing material.
The FMA also found that Bitpanda’s marketing communication lacked required disclosures stating that it had not been reviewed or approved by a competent authority and that the provider was responsible for its content.
The communication also omitted a required telephone number and email address. The requirements specify what information must accompany marketing communication and identify the provider responsible for its content.
No finding on customer funds
The €70,000 penalty concerns MiCA disclosure and marketing rules, rather than findings concerning customer funds, withdrawals, or Bitpanda’s authorization. The FMA did not allege investor losses or say the company’s license had been suspended or restricted.
The FMA described the decision as its first published legally binding MiCA penalty decision. That designation does not necessarily mean Bitpanda received its first financial penalty in the European Union involving MiCA-related conduct, as earlier enforcement actions may have involved other rules or conduct predating the MiCA authorization.
The decision provides an early example of the FMA enforcing MiCA requirements beyond the authorization process, including rules governing white papers and marketing communications.
Bitpanda authorization remains in place
Austria’s FMA authorized Bitpanda GmbH as a crypto-asset service provider on April 9, 2025. Its listed permissions cover services including custody, crypto-asset exchange, order execution, placement, reception and transmission of orders, and transfers.
Bitpanda obtained MiCA authorization from Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in January 2025. As of August 17, 2026, the FMA continued to list Bitpanda as an authorized crypto-asset service provider in Austria.
The Bitpanda penalty comes as other crypto platforms also move through Austria’s MiCA regulatory process. WhiteBIT EU secured a MiCA license in Austria on June 20, while Bitget EU advanced its MiCAR application under Austrian regulatory review on June 17.
The Austrian regulator said the proceedings were completed through an expedited procedure under Section 22(2b) of the Financial Market Authority Act. With the penalty order now final, the specific enforcement proceeding is concluded, while Bitpanda remains subject to the ongoing requirements of the EU’s MiCA framework.
Also Read: MiCA Moves EU Crypto Market Into Post-Deadline Transition
