Key Takeaways
- • Taurus, a cryptocurrency custody firm, has obtained a MiFID II investment license from Cyprus's Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), enabling regulated investment services across the European Union.
- • The license permits Taurus to offer tokenized financial instruments—including tokenized bonds, fund shares, equities, and structured products—directly to EU banks and asset managers, with secondary trading capabilities.
- • The MiFID II credential establishes Taurus as a fully regulated investment service provider equivalent to traditional European brokers, addressing institutional client preferences for onshore, regulated counterparties with compliance guarantees.
- • This regulatory move allows Taurus to bridge its crypto-native infrastructure with traditional capital markets infrastructure, positioning tokenized securities as an institutional-grade offering.
Summary
Taurus, a cryptocurrency custody firm, has secured a MiFID II investment license from the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), marking a significant step in mainstreaming digital asset infrastructure within the regulated EU capital markets ecosystem. The license, granted as of May 6, 2026, authorizes Taurus to operate as a MiFID-regulated investment service provider across all EU member states.
The authorization enables Taurus to offer a range of regulated investment services centered on tokenized financial instruments. Specifically, the firm can now provide services related to tokenized bonds, fund shares, equities, and structured products, as well as facilitate secondary trading in these assets. This capability directly addresses demand from European banks and asset managers seeking to incorporate tokenized securities into their portfolios and operations.
According to Sébastien Dessimoz, co-founder and Managing Partner at Taurus, the strategic value of the MiFID license lies in regulatory parity with traditional financial infrastructure. "Banks like to face fully regulated entities that are similar to the one they used to work with," Dessimoz stated. "All the brokers in Europe are MiFID licensed firms, and Taurus is a broker also and now a MiFID licensed firm. So those banks and institutions can be sure we are subject to all the necessary guarantees – on top of that we're onshore in Europe, which is also highly appreciated."
MiFID II (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II) is the EU's foundational regulatory framework governing investment services, trading venues, and financial instruments including equities, bonds, derivatives, and structured products. Holding this license positions Taurus as an established regulatory actor within traditional capital markets rather than as an unregulated crypto-native service provider, effectively bridging the institutional gap between tokenized asset infrastructure and legacy banking and asset management operations.
The license reflects broader institutional momentum toward tokenized securities infrastructure within regulated frameworks. By obtaining MiFID credentials, Taurus eliminates a critical friction point for traditional financial institutions: the regulatory uncertainty and counterparty risk associated with unregulated digital asset platforms. The onshore EU regulatory designation further mitigates perceived compliance and jurisdictional concerns among institutional clients.
The authorization enables Taurus to offer a range of regulated investment services centered on tokenized financial instruments. Specifically, the firm can now provide services related to tokenized bonds, fund shares, equities, and structured products, as well as facilitate secondary trading in these assets. This capability directly addresses demand from European banks and asset managers seeking to incorporate tokenized securities into their portfolios and operations.
According to Sébastien Dessimoz, co-founder and Managing Partner at Taurus, the strategic value of the MiFID license lies in regulatory parity with traditional financial infrastructure. "Banks like to face fully regulated entities that are similar to the one they used to work with," Dessimoz stated. "All the brokers in Europe are MiFID licensed firms, and Taurus is a broker also and now a MiFID licensed firm. So those banks and institutions can be sure we are subject to all the necessary guarantees – on top of that we're onshore in Europe, which is also highly appreciated."
MiFID II (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II) is the EU's foundational regulatory framework governing investment services, trading venues, and financial instruments including equities, bonds, derivatives, and structured products. Holding this license positions Taurus as an established regulatory actor within traditional capital markets rather than as an unregulated crypto-native service provider, effectively bridging the institutional gap between tokenized asset infrastructure and legacy banking and asset management operations.
The license reflects broader institutional momentum toward tokenized securities infrastructure within regulated frameworks. By obtaining MiFID credentials, Taurus eliminates a critical friction point for traditional financial institutions: the regulatory uncertainty and counterparty risk associated with unregulated digital asset platforms. The onshore EU regulatory designation further mitigates perceived compliance and jurisdictional concerns among institutional clients.
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