CEX.IO Review 2026: No MiCA Licence — What It Means for EU Users
CEX.IO is one of the oldest crypto exchanges, operating since 2013 and long regarded as a reliable choice for Europeans. After 1 July 2026 that view needs revisiting: we could not find CEX.IO in the register of MiCA-authorised providers, and without that authorisation an exchange cannot legally serve EU clients.
Disclosure: this review contains no affiliate links. We do not earn commission from exchanges without a MiCA licence.
At a glance
- MiCA licence: not in the ESMA register (as of September 2026).
- Lithuanian registration: CEX.IO EU VASP, UAB is registered as a virtual asset service provider (VASP) — a legacy regime that lapsed with MiCA’s transitional period.
- Since 1 July 2026, serving EU clients without CASP authorisation is unlawful.
- History: operating since 2013 with no major hack; in 2014 its GHash.io mining pool neared half of Bitcoin’s hash rate.
- Who it suits today: no EU resident looking for a new exchange.
Does CEX.IO have a MiCA licence?
As far as we could establish, no. The group’s European entity, CEX.IO EU VASP, UAB, is registered in Lithuania as a virtual asset service provider. Before MiCA, that was enough to operate.
MiCA replaced this system with a single CASP authorisation. Firms registered under the old rules could continue during a transitional period that ended for good on 1 July 2026. Since then, a VASP registration no longer permits serving EU clients, and we did not find CEX.IO in ESMA’s CASP register. The register is public — see our guide on how to verify a licence.
I hold funds on CEX.IO — what should I do?
No licence does not mean the exchange has failed or that your funds are gone. It does mean you are outside MiCA’s protection — asset segregation, capital requirements and an EU supervisor to complain to. A sensible order:
- Export your full transaction history for tax purposes and in case of dispute.
- Check withdrawal costs and availability before services for the EU are restricted.
- Move funds to a wallet you control or to a MiCA-licensed exchange.
Closest to CEX.IO’s profile — long track record, simple use, security focus — is Kraken.
What set CEX.IO apart
- A long record without disaster — operating since 2013 without a hack of the scale that sank many exchanges of its generation.
- Simple card purchases, for years its main selling point.
- The GHash.io episode. In 2014, the mining pool run by CEX.IO approached 51% of Bitcoin’s hash rate, sparking an industry debate about network takeover risk. The pool voluntarily reduced its share — a rarely remembered chapter of Bitcoin’s history.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- One of the oldest exchanges, with no major hack.
- Simple interface and card purchases.
Cons:
- No MiCA authorisation — no legal basis to serve EU clients since 1 July 2026.
- No EU supervisor to complain to.
- Average offer and costs versus licensed competitors.
Frequently asked questions
Does CEX.IO have a MiCA licence?
As of September 2026 we did not find CEX.IO in the CASP register maintained by ESMA. Its European entity, CEX.IO EU VASP, UAB, holds only a Lithuanian VASP registration, which no longer permits serving EU clients after MiCA's transitional period.
Can EU residents use CEX.IO?
Since 1 July 2026, an exchange without CASP authorisation may not legally serve residents of the European Union.
What should I do with funds on CEX.IO?
Export your transaction history, check withdrawal costs and move funds to your own wallet or to a MiCA-licensed exchange such as Kraken.
What was GHash.io?
A Bitcoin mining pool run by CEX.IO that approached 51 percent of the network hash rate in 2014. It sparked a debate about takeover risk, and the pool voluntarily reduced its share.
Legal status verified in September 2026. No entry means we did not find the entity in ESMA’s CASP register on the publication date — this may change, so check the current register before acting. This article is informational and is not investment advice.
