ECB: US Embrace of Crypto Could Trigger Financial Crisis

A European Central Bank (ECB) official says America’s embrace of cryptocurrency and non-bank finance could backfire.

“The United States risks sinning through negligence,” Francois Villeroy de Galhau, a member of the bank’s governing council, said in an interview with French weekly La Tribune Dimanche on Saturday (March 15).

“Financial crises often originate in the United States and spread to the rest of the world. By encouraging crypto assets and non-bank finance, the American administration is sowing the seeds of future upheavals.”

The U.S. government’s attitude toward cryptocurrency has changed under President Donald Trump. Trump championed the digital assets when running for office last summer, and has since pushed to make America the “crypto capital of the world” by calling for the creation of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) seems to be rolling back its regulatory crackdown on the crypto sector, having dismissed several cases against crypto platforms since Trump’s inauguration.

As PYMNTS wrote recently, this change has upended the dynamic between America and Europe in how they approach crypto.

“The initial contrast between the rules-based approach to cryptocurrency in the European Union and the enforcement-driven strategy in the United States was once thought to shape the global crypto industry’s trajectory,” that report said.

All the same, the EU’s structured Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) policy framework, designed to harmonizing the fragmented regulatory landscape across the EU’s 27 member states, is already in place and continues to guide the some of the largest crypto companies in one of the biggest economic regions in the world.

“MiCA’s applications, and its endemic speedbumps, could hold many lessons for an eventual U.S. regulatory environment,” PYMNTS wrote.

Since MiCA’s approval in 2023 — the rule is being implemented in phases — market players have been hurrying to comply with its provisions. Crypto exchanges, stablecoin issuers and wallet providers now face strict licensing requirements, capital reserves standards and clear consumer protection rules.

While MiCA is designed to streamline crypto operations, it poses obstacles for existing virtual asset service providers (VASPs). All VASPs who were registered in the EU before 2025 must comply with MiCA requirements this year.

“Predictions suggest that around 75% of these VASPs may struggle to meet the new standards. Factors such as company size, compliance costs and requirements contribute to this potential contraction,” PYMNTS wrote.

“For example, many registered VASPs are small enterprises that may lack the resources to fulfill MiCA’s rigorous demands, including substantial share capital requirements and comprehensive compliance frameworks.”