Mateusz Świtalski - Crypto Lawyer in Poland (CASP / MiCA)

Yes. Most of my CASP licensing engagements involve non-EU founders – typically from the UK, Switzerland, the US, the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore – establishing an EU subsidiary in Poland or another Member State. I handle both the corporate setup and the CASP application end-to-end, in English. Note that under MiCA, the CASP authorization is issued in a specific Member State and benefits from passporting across the EU/EEA.

Under Article 63 MiCA, the competent authority must issue a decision within 40 working days of confirming a complete application. In practice, the realistic timeline from kick-off to authorization is 6-9 months for a well-prepared applicant – most of that time is spent assembling documentation (governance, AML/CFT framework, ICT and operational resilience policies, fit-and-proper files for board members) before the file is even submitted. Applicants who underestimate the documentation phase and submit prematurely typically face multiple rounds of supervisory feedback, which extends the overall process.

Polish (native) and English (working proficiency for legal work). All deliverables, contracts, regulatory correspondence and client meetings can be conducted in English. Communication with Polish authorities (KNF, GIIF, courts, registry) is handled by me in Polish on your behalf.

Yes. End-to-end setup typically includes:

(i) incorporation of a Polish limited liability company (sp. z o.o.) or joint-stock company,

(ii) opening a Polish bank account – which is the most common bottleneck for foreign founders,

(iii) tax and AML registrations,

(iv) employment and management board structuring to meet MiCA fit-and-proper requirements, and

(v) the CASP application itself.

The corporate setup typically runs in parallel with documentation drafting for the application.

For licensing projects (CASP registration, payment institution licensing) I prefer fixed-fee engagements split into phased milestones – this gives the client budget predictability on what is typically a 6–9 month project. For ad-hoc regulatory advisory, ongoing compliance support and contract review, hourly billing or monthly retainer arrangements work better. The engagement model is agreed during the initial 30-minute consultation, which is free of charge.