Buy Bitcoin in Italy

Crypto Regulation in Italy

Italy regulates crypto under EU MiCA rules, with supervision shared between Consob and the Banca d'Italia. The practical takeaway is that an exchange can be authorised for crypto services, but it is still not a bank and it does not give you bank-style account protections.

This matters for funding because Italian banks set their risk controls around these rules. It shapes onboarding, deposit monitoring, and why your first SEPA transfer to an exchange is more likely to be reviewed than later ones.

Who regulates what (Consob vs Banca d'Italia)

Italy implemented MiCA through Legislative Decree 129/2024, which designates Consob and the Banca d'Italia as the competent authorities. Their responsibilities are split by activity, with Consob focused on market integrity, conduct and trading venue rules, and the Banca d'Italia focused on prudential and stability style requirements.

If you are choosing a platform, this split is useful because it explains why a firm might be strong on disclosure and market rules, but still strict on funding checks, limits, and withdrawal controls.

The OAM register and the MiCA transition timeline in Italy

Before MiCA, Italy required many virtual asset providers to be listed on the OAM register. Under the current transition, the Banca d'Italia explains that OAM-registered operators can keep serving clients during the authorisation process if they meet the national transitional conditions.

The key dates are:

• 30 December 2025: deadline referenced by Italian authorities for submitting a MiCA CASP authorisation application for firms relying on the Italian transitional regime.
• 30 June 2026: latest end date for continuing operations under the transitional regime while the authorisation process is pending.

User takeaway: A platform being present in Italy does not always mean it is already authorised under MiCA. Some firms may still be operating under the transitional rules, which can influence how strict they are on source-of-funds checks.

The EU crypto travel rule and why withdrawals ask for more details

EU Regulation 2023/1113 extends travel rule style information requirements to certain crypto transfers. The EBA has published guidelines on detecting and handling missing or incomplete transfer information, and these apply from 30 December 2024.

• Transfers between platforms can be delayed if the receiving side cannot accept or match the required originator and beneficiary fields.
• Withdrawals to a new address can trigger extra checks because platforms try to prevent misdirected transfers and reduce fraud risk.
• Some platforms will ask you to label the recipient or provide extra context for certain withdrawals, especially on first use.

Why Italian banks pause or block SEPA deposits to exchanges

Most funding failures are bank controls rather than exchange bugs. Italian banks have increased anti-scam prompts and first payment checks, and exchange funding often triggers step-up security when the beneficiary is new.

• New beneficiary friction. First transfers to a new exchange IBAN can be held until you complete extra confirmation steps in the banking app.
• SEPA Instant is not guaranteed to be instant. Banks can still pause a new SCT Inst payment to run screening.
• Reference or causale mistakes. If the exchange provides a reference, missing it is a common reason for delayed crediting.
• Account name mismatches. Funding from a name that does not match the exchange KYC name is a frequent cause of rejection or manual review.
• Large first deposits get reviewed. A small test transfer first reduces the chance of a block.

Funding checklist for Italy (prevents most deposit problems)

Use this workflow to reduce delays.

• Start with a small test transfer first, then increase size once it credits cleanly: SEPA Instant, SEPA Credit Transfer.
• Always copy beneficiary details and any required reference from the exchange deposit screen. Do not reuse old details.
• Fund from a bank account in the same legal name as your verified exchange profile.
• If your bank flags the transfer, complete the in-app prompt and retry with a small amount before sending size.
• If your bank blocks transfers to one exchange, try another exchange, or try a higher scoring bank: Fineco, Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit Italy.

Tax basics for Italian residents (what changed in 2025 and 2026)

The Agenzia delle Entrate has published guidance on the tax treatment of crypto activities, including how gains are taxed and how to calculate the taxable base. In practice, you need clean records of EUR cost basis, fees, and timestamps.

Recent Budget Law updates matter for planning:

• Italy's Budget Law for 2025 includes changes that raise the long-term headline tax rate on crypto gains to 33% from 1 January 2026.
• Italy's Budget Law for 2026 introduces refinements, including a carve-out to keep certain euro-denominated e-money tokens (EMT) outside the 33% increase under defined conditions.

Practical recordkeeping:

• Export trade history and deposit or withdrawal history from each platform.
• Keep bank transfer receipts and the deposit instruction screenshots for each transfer.
• If you move assets between platforms or wallets, label addresses so the trail is easy to follow.

Quick safety checks that reduce avoidable mistakes in Italy

These checks do not guarantee safety, but they reduce common funding errors.

• If the platform says it is operating under the Italian transitional regime, confirm whether it has applied for MiCA authorisation and where it is supervised.
• Prefer traceable EUR rails like SEPA over informal methods when possible: Kraken, Bybit, Coinbase.
• Keep receipts and screenshots. Support often requests them when a deposit is delayed.