European Union Has Finalized Full Text of Its Landmark Markets in Crypto Assets Legislation

The European Union has finalized the full text of its landmark Markets in Crypto Assets legislation. Officially, the text is still open to comments, but sources briefed on the talks have told CoinDesk that it is, in practice, finalized. A leaked draft of the bill dated Sept. 20 and verified by CoinDesk urges EU enforcers to take a "substance over form" approach to the law, meaning its provisions could even apply to some assets categorized as NFTs. In principle, NFTs are excluded from the framework, which requires issuers of crypto assets to publish white papers containing technical roadmaps, for platforms to register with the authorities, and requires stablecoin issuers to hold capital and be prudently managed.