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OKX Europe CEO: 80% of Crypto Exchanges Won't Survive MiCA as July 1 ESMA Deadline Looms

6/23/2026

OKX Europe CEO Ghoos has given the industry's MiCA moment a number: 80% of crypto exchanges will not survive the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation.

The European Securities and Markets Authority is compelling unlicensed firms to cease EU operations by July 1, a hard deadline that Ghoos says will claim the vast majority of the current exchange landscape.

ESMA's July 1 Cutoff The deadline is regulatory, not notional. ESMA is requiring crypto exchanges without a MiCA license to stop operating in the EU by July 1.

Ghoos's 80% attrition forecast, if accurate, would leave the post-deadline EU market dominated by a small fraction of today's active platforms.

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