A legal category with a specific reference
MiCA distinguishes electronic money tokens from asset-referenced tokens and other crypto-assets. The EMT category focuses on a reference to one official currency. That distinction concerns the token's design and legal classification, not simply its marketing label. A product calling itself a stablecoin is not thereby authorized, and a token connected to gold or a basket of assets should not automatically be described as an EMT.
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Issuer obligations and holder rights
MiCA's EMT provisions address eligible issuers, disclosure, issuance, redemption, and other obligations. For a reader examining a euro-linked token, the useful questions include which entity issues it, which authorization applies, what the whitepaper says, and how redemption works. An exchange listing and a token contract address do not replace those documents. The regulation's treatment of interest also means that yield marketed around a token needs careful separation from the token's own legal rights.
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Applying the distinction carefully
Consider a hypothetical euro-referencing token and a token referencing a basket of euro, dollars, and gold. Their labels may sound similar, but their reference structures raise different classification questions. Actual analysis also depends on scope exclusions, the legal instrument, and applicable supervisory guidance. The original regulation and subsequent official materials should be read together. An encyclopedia can explain the categories without declaring an individual product compliant solely because its issuer uses regulatory language.
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The source notesEvidence & further reading2 sources
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1114: MiCA European Union · Primary source · accessed 2026-09-21
- MiCA interactive single rulebook European Securities and Markets Authority · Primary source · accessed 2026-09-21