Francis Pouliot’s company passed the required security audits while maintaining self-custody, privacy and control of its own infrastructure
Bull Bitcoin has obtained the MiCA licence in France. The bitcoin exchange and payment services provider will be able to continue operating legally for users resident in European Union member states, with no interruptions or reductions in service. The announcement was made by founder Francis Pouliot.
The MiCA regulation works as a continental passport: a single authorisation enables the offering of crypto-asset services across the entire Union.
The point the company emphasises concerns its method. According to Pouliot, the authorisation was secured without compromising the cypherpunk approach to self-custody and privacy: the site and wallet functions remain as they stood in the first half of 2026, with no additional burden on users.
On the technical side, Bull Bitcoin states it passed the PASSI and DORA cybersecurity audits required by the regulation, without entrusting its Bitcoin infrastructure to hosted third-party software providers. The company describes this choice as more complex and costly than outsourcing, but necessary to preserve operational sovereignty. PASSI is the security qualification framework applicable in France, while DORA is the European regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector.
The founder also highlights the nature of the journey: nearly three years of work that was entirely self-funded, with no external investors or loans. Pouliot connects this to the company’s reputation and long-term sustainability, in a sector where raising outside capital remains the norm.
The stated ambitions look beyond the continent. “Having secured a long-term foothold in Europe, our ambition is global dominance and setting a new standard for how to build the infrastructure that Bitcoin deserves,” Pouliot wrote. The case sets a concrete precedent: it shows that a company can face European regulators while keeping self-custody, privacy and infrastructure control intact.
