EU CRYPTO DERIVATIVES · BITPANDA · LAST VERIFIED
Is Bitpanda MiFID II-authorised for crypto derivatives in the European Union?
Bitpanda's European derivatives entity (Bitpanda Financial Services GmbH) is recorded as an authorised investment firm under Directive 2014/65/EU (MiFID II), authorised by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA).
Verdict: Bitpanda holds a MiFID II investment-firm authorisation and offers CFDs on crypto to EEA users.
| Authorised legal entity | Bitpanda Financial Services GmbH |
|---|---|
| Home Member State | Austria |
| National Competent Authority | Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) |
| Authorising statute | Securities Supervision Act 2018 (Wertpapieraufsichtsgesetz 2018, WAG 2018) implementing MiFID II |
| Live retail product status | Live for crypto CFDs (Bitpanda Leverage, L-Token Long, L-Token Short, S-Token, A-Token Derivative) under own-account dealing |
| Products offered to EEA users | Contracts for Difference (CFDs) on crypto assets, marketed by Bitpanda as Bitpanda Leverage, L-Token Long, L-Token Short, S-Token, A-Token Derivative. Bitpanda issues these products as own-account counterparty under the dealing-on-own-account leg of its licence. |
Source: FMA Austria - 'Granting of Licence: Bitpanda Financial Services GmbH' (1 March 2021, regulator-published). Verified 30 June 2026.
What can Bitpanda legally offer EEA derivatives users?
Bitpanda Financial Services GmbH is authorised by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) under MiFID II. The specific investment-service permissions held determine which products the firm can legally provide. Each permission is granted at the firm level by the national regulator.
Receiving and transmitting orders (Article 3(2)(3) WAG 2018)
A MiFID II investment service granted under the Investment Firms Regulation framework.
Trading on own account (Article 3(2)(7) WAG 2018)
A MiFID II investment service granted under the Investment Firms Regulation framework.
Custody and management of financial instruments (Article 3(2)(10) WAG 2018)
A MiFID II investment service granted under the Investment Firms Regulation framework.
What does this mean for me as a user of Bitpanda?
If you use Bitpanda for crypto-CFD products in the EEA (Bitpanda Leverage, L-Token Long, L-Token Short, S-Token, A-Token Derivative), you are contracting with Bitpanda Financial Services GmbH, a MiFID II investment firm authorised by the Austrian FMA. Bitpanda issues these products as own-account counterparty under the dealing-on-own-account leg of its MiFID II licence (Article 1 no. 7 lits a-e and i, j of WAG 2018 - the FMA-granted scope covers derivative contracts under MiFID Annex I Section C(4), captured as CFDs).
This is structurally different from the multilateral perpetual-futures venues operated by OKX (X-Perps, Malta MFSA) and Kraken (perpetuals + fixed-maturity futures, Cyprus CySEC). Bitpanda's products are bilateral contracts (CFDs) with Bitpanda as the counterparty. The MiFID II protections still apply: client-asset segregation, appropriateness assessment, best execution.
What about Bitpanda's spot crypto business?
Bitpanda operates the spot crypto business through a separate legal entity: Bitpanda GmbH (Austria, FMA, MiCA CASP authorised 9 April 2025, EEA passport effective 14 April 2025) - spot crypto. The MiCA authorisation covers spot trading, custody, fiat conversion, and the other crypto-asset services defined in Article 3(1)(16) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. It does not cover derivatives.
See the full MiCA spot profile: Bitpanda MiCA status →
Does Bitpanda also issue a crypto card?
Bitpanda is one of the brands in our card register. A crypto card is a separate product from derivatives: it is issued by an e-money or banking partner, not under MiFID II. We record who actually issues the Bitpanda card, which regulator authorises that issuer, what protects your balance, and the issuer's own published fees with the exact source shown for each figure.
See the full card profile: Who issues the Bitpanda card and what protects your money →
How does Bitpanda compare to the other MiFID II-authorised crypto-derivative firms in our register?
As of , six firms in our v2 register hold MiFID II authorisations covering crypto derivatives in the EEA: Kraken (CySEC Cyprus, CIF 342/17), Coinbase (CySEC Cyprus, CIF 374/19), OKX (MFSA Malta), Crypto.com (CySEC Cyprus, CIF 344/17), Bitstamp (ATVP Slovenia MTF) and Bitpanda (FMA Austria CFDs). Kraken, Coinbase, and OKX have verified live retail products. The other three hold the relevant licences with the live-status nuance explained on each profile page.
Frequently asked questions about Bitpanda and MiFID II
Is Bitpanda legally allowed to offer me crypto derivatives in the EU?
Yes. Bitpanda Financial Services GmbH holds a MiFID II authorisation from the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), reference the firm's MiFID II authorisation reference. The authorisation passports across all 30 EEA member states.
What protections does the MiFID II authorisation give me when I trade with Bitpanda?
Client-asset segregation under Article 16(8), an appropriateness assessment before complex products are offered (Article 25(3)), best execution under Article 27, and access to the home-state Investor Compensation Scheme. See the full MiFID II protections explainer.
Does Bitpanda require KYC and an experience check before I can trade?
Yes. MiFID II Article 25(3) requires an appropriateness assessment for retail clients trading complex products. You complete a short questionnaire on knowledge and experience. The firm records the result and uses it to determine product access.
How does The Crypto Register verify MiFID II authorisations?
Every MiFID II authorisation claim on this site is verified against at least two primary sources: the firm's own published regulatory disclosures, plus an independent regulator or press source. Our full methodology describes the verification process. Corrections welcome at our contact page.
Sources cited on this page
All facts on this page are verified against at least two primary sources per our methodology. Corrections welcome at our contact page.