Bull Bitcoin secured its Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license in France on Tuesday, ensuring continuous operations across the European Union. The regulatory approval arrives just days before the July 1 transition deadline, which has triggered an aggressive market purge by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).
The European regulator recently ordered all unauthorized crypto providers to immediately cease marketing and halt new client onboarding. Bull Bitcoin navigated this strict compliance threshold while explicitly retaining its core privacy features and non-custodial wallet infrastructure.
Founder Francis Pouliot announced the licensing achievement on June 23, concluding a three-year corporate expansion. The company executed the transition into the heavily regulated eurozone entirely through self-financing, avoiding external investor solicitations.
To maintain operational sovereignty, Bull Bitcoin completed rigorous PASSI and DORA cybersecurity audits completely in-house. The firm bypassed the cheaper, standard industry route of outsourcing core Bitcoin infrastructure to third-party providers.
This internal control allows the exchange to preserve its cypherpunk operational model under MiCA oversight. Services including Lightning Network support, Liquid integrations, and the Payjoin privacy protocol built into the October 2025 BULL Wallet release remain fully accessible to EU residents without newly imposed restrictions.
How ESMA’s Approaching Deadline Reshapes European Crypto
The looming regulatory cutoff has divided the European digital asset sector into compliant and non-compliant tiers. Competitors lacking approval are currently executing ESMA-mandated exit protocols, limiting their operations exclusively to client asset withdrawals.
The successful clearance by Bull Bitcoin aligns with a broader regional rush for legitimacy among established platforms. French competitors including Meria and rival exchange Paymium also finalized their MiCA licensing approvals this week to avoid the impending operational freeze.