EU widens Belarus ownership ban to all MiCA-regulated crypto service providers from Aug. 25

The European Union is extending its Belarus sanctions so that Belarusian nationals and residents cannot own, control, or manage EU crypto exchanges and other crypto service providers regulated under MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) starting Aug. 25. For PSPs and compliance teams, the useful part is simple: the restriction now covers the full MiCA service stack, not just wallet, account, and custody providers.

1. The change appears in Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/1847, adopted Thursday to amend the EU sanctions framework targeting Belarus over its role in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The decision enters into force on July 24, while the expanded crypto provision applies from Aug. 25.
2. Before this amendment, the Belarusian ownership ban applied only to companies providing crypto wallet, account, or custody services. Under the new wording, Belarusian nationals and residents may not own or control an EU-based entity providing “any other crypto-asset services” under MiCA, or hold a position on its governing body.
3. MiCA’s service categories include operating trading platforms, exchanging crypto assets, executing and transmitting client orders, placing crypto assets, providing transfers, and offering investment advice or portfolio management. In other words, this is not a niche carve-out; it reaches the operating layer of a licensed crypto business.
4. The timing matters because the sanctions expansion lands weeks after the end of MiCA’s transition period on July 1. Crypto companies without authorization were ordered to wind down or face enforcement actions, so the EU is tightening sanctions just as the licensing regime is hardening.
5. The Belarus restriction is part of a wider EU push against crypto platforms and financial networks accused of helping Russia evade sanctions. On Thursday, as part of its 21st sanctions package against Russia, the EU extended its transaction ban to 14 crypto-related service platforms outside the bloc and introduced a mechanism to prohibit dealings with any foreign crypto provider used by Russia to evade sanctions.

The June 11 proposal had targeted 11 crypto platforms. The final package goes further, and the sanctions pressure is clearly moving from named entities toward wider access control over crypto infrastructure and ownership.