Matheson advised four out of a total of ten crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) which have recently been authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation which come into full effect in Ireland on 30 December 2025. The four CASPs which Matheson advised represent some of the largest such entities in Ireland and Europe.
Our client Kraken’s Irish subsidiaries, Payward Europe Solutions Limited and Payward Global Solutions Limited, became the first firms to be authorised as a CASP in Ireland on 25 June 2025. As such, Matheson was the first Irish law firm to successfully guide a client through the CASP authorisation process, and was also among the first firms in Europe to do so also.
Matheson partners Joe Beashel and Ian O’Mara of Matheson’s Financial Institutions Group were supported by associates Nicole Ward, Kevin Burns, Adam D’Arcy, Aaron Leonard, Rachel Power and Sam Kirwan and a cross-section of corporate and technology colleagues in these authorisation processes.
As the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation is a recent addition to the financial regulatory space, the CASP authorisation process is a brand new area of legal practice in 2025. In acting for four of the most significant CASPs which chose to locate in Ireland, Matheson navigated our clients through a wholly novel application process and set the standard for how CASP authorisations should be approached.