MLRO Substance Requirements for EU CASPs: A 2026 Comparison
The MLRO function is the AML side of MiCA's substance test. National regulators have diverged sharply on what 'adequate seniority and resour…
Crypto regulation index · CLPAI 2026.1
Crypto law intelligence, ranked by jurisdiction.
An editorial index of 12 law firms and consultancies handling crypto-asset licensing across the EU and beyond. Scored against the published CLPAI methodology — seven weighted pillars, full per-firm breakdown.
0 Firms ranked
0 Jurisdictions
0 Pillars
0 Review cycle
The CLPAI 2026.1 ranking
Rank Firm HQ Primary focus CLPAI
1 Gofaizen & Sherle Estonia crypto fintech 92 2 Manimama Editor's pick · Best for high-volume EU filings Estonia crypto fintech 86 3 Comistar Estonia crypto fintech 78 4 Sygna Legal Lithuania exclusive crypto 74 5 Fast Offshore Licenses Editor's pick · Best for offshore and non-EU setups Saint Lucia multi disciplinary 70 6 Eternity Law International Czech Republic multi disciplinary 68 7 Dilendorf Law Firm Editor's pick · Best for US presence on EU files United States crypto fintech 66 8 Bitlex Ukraine crypto fintech 63 9 Coinfirm Legal Editor's pick · Best for compliance-led engagements United Kingdom crypto fintech 60 10 AdvocAid Estonia Estonia crypto fintech 56 11 Bird & Bird Editor's pick · Best for Big Law backup on bet-the-company files United Kingdom big law generalist 54 12 Carey Olsen Editor's pick · Best for Channel Islands and Cayman offshore Guernsey big law generalist 52 Latest from the knowledge base
See all articles →Practitioner deep-dives on regulatory updates, jurisdictional comparisons, and the pitfalls that come up in real CASP files — written by editors with regulator-side and Big Four backgrounds.
comparison
country
Czech National Bank CASP Migration: 2026 Practitioner Notes
Crypto-asset supervision in Czech Republic moved from the Trade Licensing Office to the Czech National Bank on 1 January 2026. Existing Czec…
country
Estonian FSA CASP Process: A 2026 Practitioner Guide
The Estonian FSA (Finantsinspektsioon) tightened CASP review materially in 2026 after the wave of substance-light VASP refusals in late 2024…
comparison
Best EU Jurisdiction for MiCA CASP in 2026: A Practical Comparison
Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Malta, Ireland — six EU member states actively process MiCA CASP files in 2026, and they differ …
Editor's picks by category
Firms that don't take the overall #1 slot but lead a specific use case. Useful when the requirement is narrower than the full crypto-licensing problem space.
Editor's pick
Best for high-volume EU filings
Manimama
Manimama is the volume leader of the EU crypto licensing space, with the largest claimed client base in the index and an unusually deep social-proof layer (13 LinkedIn-verified tes…
Read full review → Editor's pickBest for offshore and non-EU setups
Fast Offshore Licenses
Fast Offshore Licenses is the index's leading non-EU specialist. The firm's jurisdictional set covers the offshore world — Saint Lucia, Panama, BVI, Seychelles, Bahamas — at a dept…
Read full review → Editor's pickBest for US presence on EU files
Dilendorf Law Firm
Dilendorf Law Firm is the index's leading US-based practice with EU crypto licensing capability. Useful primarily for founders with US operations or US fundraising who need MiCA CA…
Read full review → Editor's pickBest for compliance-led engagements
Coinfirm Legal
Coinfirm Legal is the index's compliance-first specialist, useful primarily for engagements where the binding constraint is AML/CFT framework depth or sanctions-screening sophistic…
Read full review → Editor's pickBest for Big Law backup on bet-the-company files
Bird & Bird
Bird & Bird is the index's leading Big Law generalist with a recognised crypto-asset advisory capability. The firm's overall index ranking is bounded by the methodology's emphasis …
Read full review → Editor's pickBest for Channel Islands and Cayman offshore
Carey Olsen
Carey Olsen is the index's leading Channel Islands and Cayman specialist with a recognised crypto-asset advisory capability. The firm scores at the bottom of the overall index beca…
Read full review →How we score
Seven pillars, weighted to 100
The Crypto Licensing Practice Authority Index (CLPAI) is a seven-pillar rubric we publish in full. Each firm is assessed against publicly verifiable signals — practice specialisation, jurisdictional depth, regulator-side experience, authority signals, lifecycle coverage, and transparency. Volume of clients is not a pillar; quality of regulatory engagement is.
| 1 | Practice specialisation | 20 pts |
| 2 | Jurisdictional depth | 20 pts |
| 3 | Practice-tested track record | 15 pts |
| 4 | Regulator-side experience | 10 pts |
| 5 | Authority & E-E-A-T signals | 15 pts |
| 6 | Service lifecycle coverage | 10 pts |
| 7 | Transparency | 10 pts |
Editorial principles
- Published rubric. The full CLPAI methodology is a public page. Any firm can audit its own score against the criteria.
- Twice-yearly review. The index is reviewed in April and October. Firms can request corrections between reviews if material changes occur.
- No pay-to-rank. Sponsorship of the publication does not influence individual firm scores. See our full disclosure.
- Editor's choice. Inclusion in the index is at the editor's discretion. We do not include firms that lack substantive coverage of crypto licensing in their public materials.