EBA's 12.5% penalty rate is harsh enough, and the compliance costs will be passed on to retail investors again.

Coin World News, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published a penalty framework for cryptocurrency issuers on June 28, 2026, potentially imposing fines of up to 12.5% of the annual income of non-compliant major token issuers. This framework marks a stricter stance by the EU in enforcing digital asset laws, aiming to ensure that cryptocurrency service providers adhere to bank-level compliance requirements. According to the proposal, the EBA will adopt a strict two-step process to determine penalties, assessing the basic severity of violations and considering aggravating or mitigating factors.