Legal Services for Crypto Projects

A group of international lawyers from the RUE (Regulated United Europe) offering a broad range of legal services for crypto projects.

We help our customers through the European legislation and provide legal support on different blockchain projects. We have contact with the customer for an understanding of their goals and to develop a way of helping them achieve it. The legal support of blockchain projects is performed by well-established teams of lawyers who have wide experience in many areas of law related to digital currencies, including corporate law, securities and exchange law, intellectual property, compliance with banking legislation, private capital, real estate, M&A transactions, as well as privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity.

Digital technologies develop related modern markets: a cryptocurrency market and fintech projects. Quite a lot of automated digital platforms are based on Blockchain technology, and the execution of transactions with the help of smart contracts is not something new even in the modern world, not to mention crypto-assets and their enforcement regarding transactions. Blockchain and cryptocurrency projects operate within an increasingly comprehensive regulatory framework. In the European Union, Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 on Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) became fully applicable on 30 December 2024, establishing harmonised requirements for crypto-asset service providers, crypto-asset issuers and certain token offerings. The transitional period for previously operating crypto-asset service providers expired on 1 July 2026. Depending on their business model, crypto projects may also be subject to MiFID II, anti-money laundering legislation, the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), GDPR and other applicable financial regulations. Professional legal support helps businesses identify licensing obligations, establish compliant corporate structures and reduce regulatory risks throughout the project lifecycle. Balanced legal position regarding the launch of a project in the sphere of crypto-assets or Fintech requires, first of all, deep knowledge in different branches of law and finding innovative solutions by lawyers, taking into account all demands of applicable legislation in European countries.

Cryptocurrency projects may be subject to supervision by different financial regulatory authorities depending on the jurisdiction, the characteristics of the digital assets and the services provided. In the United States, relevant authorities include the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The regulatory treatment of cryptocurrencies is not uniform and depends on the applicable legislation and the nature of the activity. Bitcoin is generally treated as a commodity for the purposes of US commodity derivatives regulation, while certain digital asset transactions may fall under federal securities laws. Businesses providing covered virtual currency exchange or transmission services may also be subject to federal money services business registration and anti-money laundering requirements. Legal analysis is therefore essential before launching a cryptocurrency exchange, token offering, investment platform or other digital asset business in the United States.

Regulated United Europe provides legal and regulatory consulting services to cryptocurrency, blockchain and fintech businesses operating in European and international markets. Our legal professionals assist clients with regulatory assessments, corporate structuring, licensing applications, compliance documentation and ongoing legal support. For cryptocurrency projects targeting the European Union, our services include guidance on MiCA authorisation requirements, AML/CFT compliance, GDPR and other applicable financial regulations. We also cooperate with legal professionals in different jurisdictions to address country-specific regulatory matters. Our objective is to help clients identify legal risks, fulfil applicable regulatory obligations and develop sustainable business structures in accordance with the relevant legislation.

Legal support of crypto project

Basically, our blockchain, crypto, and fintech project legal services are not limited to the performance of one and the same task for the client, as such kind of services presupposes several stages of their execution and the complexity of the services provided. That is why we always recommend that our clients involve a competent lawyer in the project at the earliest stage – then we can not only become part of the client’s project team from the very beginning but also assess the full scope of tasks and provide quality legal support for the project at all stages of implementation.

At the initial stage of a cryptocurrency or blockchain project, our legal team assists with selecting an appropriate jurisdiction, determining the regulatory classification of the proposed activities and developing a compliant corporate and operational structure. For projects operating in the European Union, this includes assessing the applicability of MiCA, identifying whether Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorisation is required and evaluating the legal requirements applicable to token issuance, custody, trading platforms and other regulated services. We also assist with preparing corporate documents, shareholders’ agreements, non-disclosure agreements, service agreements and other legal documentation required for establishing and operating the business.

For international cryptocurrency projects, regulatory analysis must take into account the requirements of each jurisdiction in which services are offered or customers are targeted. Within the European Union, MiCA establishes a harmonised authorisation framework that allows authorised Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs) to provide covered services across EU Member States through the applicable passporting procedures. However, MiCA authorisation does not automatically permit the provision of services outside the European Union or cover activities regulated under other financial legislation. Companies must also consider national tax obligations, anti-money laundering requirements, data protection rules and restrictions applicable to cross-border services. Selecting an appropriate jurisdiction requires evaluating regulatory requirements, operational substance, corporate governance and ongoing compliance costs.

In the European Union, the provision of regulated crypto-asset services generally requires authorisation under Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 on Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA). Activities requiring authorisation may include operating crypto-asset trading platforms, exchanging crypto-assets for funds or other crypto-assets, providing custody and administration services, executing orders, transferring crypto-assets on behalf of clients and providing crypto-asset investment advice. Crypto-asset service providers must obtain authorisation from the competent authority of an EU Member State, unless they qualify under the framework applicable to certain already-authorised financial institutions. Token issuance is subject to separate requirements: certain public offerings require a compliant crypto-asset white paper, while asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens are subject to specific issuer authorisation and regulatory conditions. Crypto-assets qualifying as financial instruments are generally regulated under MiFID II rather than MiCA. It is also relevant and timely in this context to study and analyze such regulatory bodies of each country – securities commissions, central banks, bodies regulating financial institutions.

Blockchain legal services provided by our company:

• Legal consulting and full support of blockchain projects: mining, crypto exchanges, crypto funds etc.;
• Analytics of crypto project legal risks;
• Establishment of the corporate structure, company registration for project establishment;
• Advisory on tax law, and tax planning with regards to cryptocurrency project;
• Preparation and legal review of regulatory documentation, including MiCA-compliant crypto-asset white papers, customer agreements, AML/CFT policies, privacy policies, terms of service, risk disclosures, complaints handling procedures and other documents required under applicable legislation. Where a crypto-asset white paper is required under MiCA, its content, notification and publication must comply with the relevant provisions of the regulation. For crypto-assets other than asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens, competent authorities generally do not approve white papers before publication, although statutory notification requirements apply. Separate requirements govern asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens.
• Legal assistance with applications for Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorisation under MiCA and other applicable financial services licences and regulatory permissions. This includes assessing licensing eligibility, preparing application documentation, reviewing governance arrangements, internal controls, prudential safeguards, outsourcing structures and compliance procedures, and supporting communication with the competent regulatory authority. The authorisation process and its outcome are subject to statutory requirements and the regulator’s assessment.
• Support and legal protection of the project;
• Advisory on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT) compliance, including customer due diligence (CDD), Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, beneficial ownership identification, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, suspicious transaction reporting and internal compliance controls. For EU crypto-asset service providers, this also includes compliance with Regulation (EU) 2023/1113 on information accompanying transfers of funds and certain crypto-assets (the Travel Rule), applicable since 30 December 2024. Relevant businesses must implement procedures for collecting, verifying and transmitting required originator and beneficiary information, including appropriate risk-based controls for transfers involving self-hosted addresses.
• Legal consultations on personal data protection and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including privacy notices, data processing agreements, cross-border data transfers, security obligations and data protection impact assessments where required. For crypto-asset service providers authorised under MiCA, advisory services may also cover compliance with the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), including ICT risk management, operational resilience, incident reporting and third-party technology risk. Where cryptocurrency projects integrate payment cards or traditional payment services, legal support may include assessing the applicable payment services regulations and contractual requirements of payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard.