One of the largest European cryptocurrency exchanges, the Austrian BitPanda has notified users that it has received a virtual asset service provider license in Norway.

Representatives of the cryptocurrency platform assured that they took into account all the requirements of the Norwegian regulator.

In May 2023, Norway, which is not part of the European Union, made it clear that it intended to go its own way in regulating the circulation of digital assets and would not join the pan-European regulation of markets for crypto-assets (MiCA).

In its annual report, the country’s central bank said MiCA “may not meet all of the needs of national cryptocurrency regulation.” For example, MiCA allows the holder of a license from a local regulator to provide services throughout the EU.

In April, BitPanda and the Vienna division of Raiffeisen Bank announced an agreement that would allow the lender to include crypto assets in its basic investment package.