Poland’s crypto law has been reapproved by the Sejm and returned to the Senate after an earlier presidential veto, reopening a legislative standoff that will shape Poland’s alignment with EU digital-asset rules and the operating environment for domestic crypto firms.
MiCA alignment, veto politics and supervisory reach
The bill is designed to bring Poland into conformity with the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, addressing Poland’s status as the only EU member state without a MiCA-compliant domestic law and the perceived competitive disadvantage this creates for local firms. Proponents argue that closing this gap is essential to preserve cross-border market access and to avoid regulatory fragmentation that could impair liquidity and on-ramp efficiency for institutional entrants.
President Andrzej Duda vetoed the earlier version of the law on grounds of “excessive regulation,” “high compliance costs” and provisions he said threaten “the freedoms of Poles, their property, and the stability of the state.” Industry groups have echoed parts of this critique, warning that certain measures are “overly punitive,” particularly proposed supervisory fees and broad, not fully defined domain-blocking powers.
Under the draft, the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) would gain expanded licensing, supervisory, enforcement and website-blocking powers over crypto-asset service providers (CASPs), a redesign that could materially reshape operational costs, risk management and market structure for platforms serving Polish clients. For custodians and exchanges, this implies tighter oversight and more intrusive compliance expectations than under the current regime.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s administration has responded by framing the bill as a national-security priority, arguing that regulatory gaps expose Poland to misuse by foreign intelligence services, criminal networks and money-laundering channels. That narrative positions MiCA alignment not only as an economic integration issue but also as a defensive measure against illicit-finance and geopolitical risk.
Procedurally, the Sejm’s renewed approval sends the text back to the Senate, with the president retaining the power to veto any final version, after an earlier attempt to override his veto fell short of the required three-fifths majority. This sets up another decisive round of negotiations over how to balance market access, supervisory reach and constitutional safeguards in the final statute.
Poland’s renewed push to pass a MiCA-aligned crypto law marks a pivotal phase that will determine regulatory cost structures, enforcement scope and Poland’s attractiveness as an EU crypto hub once the Senate deliberations and any further presidential actions are complete.