Circle presses EU to open market access for stablecoins

Circle has called on the European Commission to ease parts of its proposed Market Integration Package as the stablecoin issuer pushes for wider institutional use of digital euro and dollar tokens in the region. 

In a Monday announcement, the company said the package could help connect traditional finance and blockchain systems, but added that some rules still limit access for crypto service providers and slow the growth of euro-backed tokens.

Circle said it sent its feedback to the Commission on March 20. In its response, the company described the package as a “meaningful step toward a digitally enabled financial system” while asking for changes to improve market access and digital asset settlement in Europe.

One of Circle’s main requests focused on the market capitalization threshold tied to e-money tokens used in settlement. The company said limiting settlement use to “significant” e-money tokens could keep euro-denominated tokens out of the market and create what it called a “chicken-and-egg scenario” for growth.

Circle argued that the current threshold creates a structural barrier for institutions that want to use e-money tokens in secondary markets. It said the Commission should use more flexible thresholds based on factors such as market uptake and liquidity conditions rather than relying on a fixed capital benchmark.

The company has a direct interest in that issue because it offers EURC, a euro-backed stablecoin that complies with MiCA rules in Europe. Circle’s MiCA white paper says EURC is an e-money token and states that it does not meet the definition of a “significant e-money token” under current rules.

Circle also wants wider access under DLT rules

Circle also asked the Commission to widen access under the DLT Pilot Regime. It said the current structure limits cash accounts to credit institutions and central securities depositories, and argued that crypto-asset service providers should also be allowed to take part.

The company said these changes would give Europe-based crypto market participants more clarity, especially around which digital assets can be used as collateral and how blockchain-based settlement can work within regulated capital markets. The Commission launched the broader Market Integration Package in December 2025 as part of its plan to deepen EU capital markets integration and supervision.

Europe’s main crypto framework remains the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, which took effect in late 2024. Circle said the new package gives the EU a chance to update parts of its financial system while keeping digital asset rules clear and proportionate for firms operating in the bloc.