Comparison
Bank account vs CASP balance
Start with the legal product and the entity, not with the app that displays the balance.
- Sheet
- 038
- Section
- Compare
- Instrument
- Binary orrery
- Edition
- 12 · XI · 2026
Banking, electronic money and crypto-asset services are different legal activities. One customer journey can involve several entities and regimes. A permission for one activity should not be treated as permission for another. [EUR-Lex]
| Product | Identify the actual deposit or payment product | Identify custody, trading or cash-balance terms |
| Permission check | Relevant banking or payments authority | MiCA service scope and entity |
| Evidence of completion | Account-level credit and availability | May be an intermediate balance, not a bank credit |
Read the contract before the interface
Identify the counterparty named in each agreement: bank account, payment service, crypto custody and conversion. A group can use a common brand while allocating these services to different legal entities. The operating file should retain that separation. Match the account or asset balance to its contract and identify the relevant complaints and escalation process.
Do not generalise protection
The fact that a product is regulated does not mean every balance has the same legal treatment or compensation arrangements. Check the actual deposit, e-money or crypto-asset claim. Do not advertise a crypto balance as a protected bank deposit simply because a banking partner participates in the route. The exact protections must be verified from the applicable product and regime.
Build a role ledger
Use one row per entity and service. Record the source of its permission, the contract version, the role it performs, the assets or funds it holds, and the event that ends its responsibility. This is an editorial due-diligence method, not a certified classification. Resolve inconsistencies before funding rather than assuming that a licence elsewhere in the group covers them.
Method, assumptions and limits
Regulatory facts are linked to primary sources. Suggested workflows are our editorial synthesis; examples and fee scenarios are hypothetical. The mechanical illustration is a conceptual navigation aid, not a prescribed legal funds flow.
This is a dated research edition, not an automatically updated register or live price feed. Check the applicable entity, service, jurisdiction and source version before using the material.
Read the methodologySources & scope
Research snapshot: 12 November 2026. The dated rule, its scope and the legal entity matter. Open the primary source before acting.
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 — Markets in Crypto-AssetsEU legislation
- ESMA: MiCA implementation and the central registerRegulator register and guidance
- ESMA: MiCA Article 48 — e-money token issuersInteractive legal rulebook