Lithuania Law on Markets in Crypto-Assets No. XIV-2879

The law does not create a standalone crypto regime separate from MiCA. Instead, it supplies the national machinery for MiCA in Lithuania: competent-authority functions, licensing mechanics, local governance and audit rules, supervisory reporting, client complaint handling, sanctions, and rules for reorganisation, liquidation and bankruptcy of supervised entities. The stated purpose is to support fair, open and effective crypto-asset markets and protect holders of crypto-assets, holders of asset-referenced and e-money tokens, and clients of crypto-asset service providers.

The act uses MiCA’s categories, including crypto-assets other than asset-referenced tokens or e-money tokens, asset-referenced tokens, e-money tokens and crypto-asset service providers. It also cross-references Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 and related Lithuanian financial-sector laws, making the national law a bridge between the EU rulebook and Lithuania’s domestic supervisory architecture.

The Bank of Lithuania is designated as the supervisory authority. The law assigns it functions for persons offering crypto-assets to the public or seeking admission to trading, issuers of asset-referenced tokens, issuers of e-money tokens and crypto-asset service providers. Bank of Lithuania guidance states that it is the national competent authority for licensing and supervising entities subject to MiCA and that MiCA will be implemented to its full extent in Lithuania.

For crypto-asset service providers, the Bank of Lithuania explains that a person intending to provide crypto-asset services must submit documents before starting activities and must receive either an approval, for certain financial institutions and services, or a licence, for other legal persons or undertakings. Non-exempt applicants must apply to the competent authority of their home Member State, and the Bank describes review steps for completeness checks and authorisation decisions under MiCA.

The law covers governance, managerial suitability, operating requirements, supervisory reporting, audited financial statements, auditor notification duties and complaint handling. It also addresses Bank of Lithuania inspection powers and mandatory instructions, including measures to address legal breaches, internal-control weaknesses, risk-management deficiencies, outsourced operations, financial reporting concerns and risks to the stability or reliability of supervised entities.

Its enforcement chapter provides for sanctions and administrative fines for breaches of MiCA, the Lithuanian law and implementing measures. The official English translation published through the Bank of Lithuania states that fines may reach EUR 15 million or 15% of annual gross income for legal persons for certain MiCA market-abuse infringements, with separate ceilings for other violations and natural persons.

The original law applied some provisions in stages. Article 22 provided that the law’s Articles 7 and 8 would apply from 1 August 2024, that implementing legislation would be adopted before relevant application dates, and that requirements for public offers or admissions to trading of crypto-assets and crypto-asset service providers would apply from 30 December 2024. Later official Bank of Lithuania communications state that Lithuania’s transitional period for obtaining a crypto-asset service provider licence ended on 31 December 2025 and that unlicensed providers would lose the right to operate after that period.

As of 22 July 2026, the profile should be treated as a current, in-force Lithuanian implementation act for MiCA rather than a pending bill. Editors should verify future consolidated versions before publication, because the Seimas display indicates the current consolidation runs through 9 January 2030.