CACEIS, the banking arm of Credit Agricole, is in exclusive talks to acquire French cryptocurrency investment platform Meria, according to a BlockStories report.
summary
- CACEIS is reportedly targeting Meria to expand beyond crypto custody into brokerage and warehousing services.
- Meria’s MiCA license gives the French exchange stronger regulatory access across Europe’s cryptocurrency market.
- Talks show banks are buying up native crypto companies as MiCA increases compliance pressure across Europe.
The deal has not been officially announced by either company.
Meria, formerly known as Just Mining, was co-founded by Owen Simonen, known online as Hashour. The company serves around 150,000 users and manages approximately €350 million in assets under management. According to To the report. Its main services include cryptocurrency brokerage and staking products.
Bank pays for crypto services
CACEIS already has a digital asset business line focused on custody. The company says its crypto services target asset managers, institutional investors and other clients seeking regulated access to digital assets. The parent group, Credit Agricole, is one of the largest banking groups in France.
CACEIS also holds French and European encryption permissions. The AMF’s public record indicates that CACEIS Bank has been licensed to provide crypto asset services under MiCA through the Article 60 notification route. This allows the group to provide services such as custody, order reception and transfer of crypto assets.
Meria adds access to retail and warehousing
The Meria deal would give CACEIS access to a native crypto platform with a hash user base and staking expertise. BlockStories mentioned that staking is one of the activities of interest to CACEIS, as Meria serves retail and institutional clients in this space.
The aforementioned talks come shortly after Meria obtained a MiCA CASP license in France. A Market information list Meria SAS is debuting as a MiCA Crypto-Asset service provider based in France and licensed by the AMF on June 22. This timing gives the platform added value as the new licensing system in Europe comes into full effect.
MiCA changes the transaction market
The talks reflect a broader shift in Europe’s cryptocurrency market. the The MiCA transition period ended on 1 JulyThis forced many cryptocurrency companies to secure CASP licenses or stop serving users under outdated national regulations.
MiCA gives licensed companies a European passport, but also increases compliance costs. As previously reported, France and other EU markets have seen a split between companies that have obtained a license and those that are still operating through the process. This gap may push more regulated banks and companies to buy licensed cryptocurrency platforms instead of building everything in-house.
Banks are moving closer to regulated cryptocurrencies
Meria’s aforementioned talks also fit into a broader pattern of regulated finance moving into digital assets. As crypto.news reported, Coinbase has opened a MiCA center in Luxembourg As the European Union deadline approaches. The exchange used Luxembourg as a base to serve clients across the block under a single license setup.
Other companies have taken similar steps. As reported by crypto.news, Ripple is close to fully complying with MiCA Through the approval of Luxembourg CASP, whereas B2C2 has received MiCA approval To expand regulated cryptocurrency trading across Europe.
