Circle France has secured a landmark authorization from France’s Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), enabling the company to offer regulated cryptocurrency services throughout the European Economic Area under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. The approval, granted on 20 April 2026, allows Circle France to provide custody and transfer services for its two primary stablecoins—USDC and EURC—pursuant to Article 60(4) of MiCA.
With this authorization, Circle France becomes one of the first major issuers to combine stablecoin issuance with custody and transfer services within a single, compliant structure. The move completes Circle’s European licensing picture: the company already held e-money institution licences in the EU for issuing USDC and EURC. The new AMF approval extends its regulated footprint, allowing it to serve institutional and retail customers across the 30-country European Economic Area directly through its French entity.
Dante Disparte, Circle’s Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy, emphasized that the authorization “reflects our commitment to working within European regulatory frameworks” and supports “trusted digital financial infrastructure in France and across the EU.” The approval arrives at a time when MiCA is reshaping Europe’s stablecoin market into a licensed, supervised sector, where issuers must demonstrate robust reserves, governance, consumer protection, and operational resilience.
The practical implications extend beyond Circle. For USDC, the approval solidifies its role as a dollar‑denominated stablecoin for trading, payments and settlement across European exchanges and fintech platforms. For EURC, a regulated euro stablecoin now gains a clear pathway for euro‑based on‑chain payment and treasury products, reducing reliance on dollar liquidity. The development also signals a broader shift in stablecoin competition: future market access will increasingly depend on local licensing, banking relationships, and regulatory credibility—not merely exchange listings or offshore liquidity.
Separately, in April 2026 Circle also launched Circle Payments Network Managed Payments, a fully managed stablecoin settlement service using USDC, aimed at payment firms, banks and enterprises. The rollout, which followed the AMF approval, underscores Circle’s strategy to build a comprehensive, regulated stablecoin infrastructure in Europe.
