- Austria’s FMA fined Bitpanda GmbH €70,000 in its first published MiCA case.
- The regulator cited white paper timing and marketing communication breaches.
- Bitpanda said it fixed the issues and the penalty is final.
Austria’s Financial Market Authority has imposed a €70,000 ($81,150) penalty on Bitpanda GmbH in what the regulator described as its first penalty under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework. The Bitpanda fine relates to how a cryptocurrency white paper and related communications were handled before publication. According to the FMA, the company did not meet the required submission timeline for the document and also issued marketing material that did not fully comply with MiCA rules. Bitpanda said the findings were limited to timing and formal specifications tied to a white paper and an accompanying information document, and added that it worked with the authority and later corrected the issues.
Bitpanda fine in Austria
Austria’s Financial Market Authority said Bitpanda GmbH breached MiCA rules and imposed a 70,000 euro penalty. The case stands out because the FMA described it as the first published penalty under the European Union’s crypto-asset rulebook in Austria. The regulator said the proceedings were completed through an expedited process under Austria’s Financial Market Authority Act, and the penalty is final.
The action involves one of Europe’s largest crypto brokers. Bitpanda ended 2025 with 7.4 million registered users, up 25% from a year earlier, and reported 371 million euros in adjusted revenue. The Vienna-based company has also been expanding outside Europe by providing trading, custody and tokenization infrastructure to banks and fintech companies.
Reasons behind the Bitpanda fine
The FMA said Bitpanda failed to submit a cryptocurrency white paper at least 20 working days before publishing it. The regulator did not identify the cryptocurrency involved. It also said the company circulated a marketing communication before the required white paper had been published.
Another communication was found to be missing several required details. The regulator said that material did not state that regulators had not reviewed or approved the document and that the provider alone was responsible for its contents. It also lacked a telephone number and an email address, which the FMA said should have been included.
Bitpanda response and regulatory status
Bitpanda told CoinDesk that the regulator’s findings related only to timing and formal specifications surrounding the publication of the white paper and an accompanying information document. The company said it had prepared a comprehensive white paper in line with MiCA requirements, submitted it to the FMA, and continuously coordinated the process with the authority.
The firm also said the white paper was submitted early last year. After the FMA raised the issues, Bitpanda said it corrected them and chose what it described as a swift, consensual conclusion to the proceedings. The regulator then closed the case through the expedited process, making the Bitpanda fine final.
Bitpanda fine despite broader approvals
The Bitpanda fine comes even as the company has secured regulatory approvals elsewhere in Europe. Last year, Bitpanda obtained a MiCA license from German regulator BaFin, allowing it to serve customers across the European Economic Area. Separately, Austria’s FMA authorized Bitpanda GmbH in April 2025 to provide custody, exchange, order execution and other crypto services.
Those approvals sit alongside the company’s wider growth efforts. Bitpanda has been building its business beyond Europe through services for banks and fintech companies, including trading, custody and tokenization infrastructure. The enforcement case focused on a specific token launch and related publication requirements rather than those broader business lines.
Conclusion
The Bitpanda fine marks Austria’s first published enforcement case under MiCA and shows how closely regulators are applying white paper and communication rules. The FMA said Bitpanda missed the deadline for submitting a cryptocurrency white paper, released marketing material too early, and omitted required statements and contact details from another communication. Bitpanda said the matter was limited to timing and formal specifications, that it had prepared and submitted the white paper, and that it fixed the issues after the regulator raised them. The case was closed through an expedited process, and the 70,000 euro penalty is now final.
Disclaimer
The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. The article does not offer sufficient information to make investment decisions, nor does it constitute an offer, recommendation, or solicitation to buy or sell any financial instrument. The content is opinion of the author and does not reflect any view or suggestion or any kind of advise from CryptoNewsBytes.com. The author declares he does not hold any of the above mentioned tokens or received any incentive from any company.
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