France's CACEIS in Exclusive Talks to Buy Meria, Adding 150,000 Crypto Clients

CACEIS, the French asset-servicing bank, is in exclusive talks to acquire French crypto platform Meria, a deal that would markedly scale up its regulated digital-asset business as European demand for compliant crypto services accelerates. If completed, the transaction would bring CACEIS roughly 150,000 customers and about €350 million in client assets, along with Meria's licensed platform operating under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regime. The acquisition would also give CACEIS additional capabilities across custody, staking, tokenization and broader digital-asset services. Meria was founded in 2017 under the name Just Mining and rebranded in 2022. It is owned by crypto entrepreneur Owen Simonin, also known as Hasheur, and provides brokerage and staking services to both retail and institutional clients. The discussions follow CACEIS becoming the first French credit institution to obtain a MiCA crypto-asset service provider (CASP) license in June 2025. Industry sources said Meria was not the first firm approached as CACEIS looked to expand in crypto, with one executive noting the bank had been in the market for some time and had contacted multiple players. France's digital-asset market is also reshaping as MiCA takes effect across Europe, raising compliance requirements and making licensed operators increasingly attractive takeover targets. Firms already meeting regulatory standards can offer more than trading, including staking, tokenization and digital infrastructure that could underpin products such as tokenized funds and regulated digital securities. The talks come after Crédit Agricole recently launched its euro-backed stablecoin, EURXT. CACEIS issues the ERC-20 token on Ethereum with full euro backing under the MiCA framework. Institutional clients have also used EURXT to subscribe to a tokenized money market fund managed by Amundi. CACEIS has been expanding its digital-asset activities through custody, tokenized funds and Bitcoin exchange-traded products. The proposed Meria deal still requires regulatory approval; if cleared, it would broaden Crédit Agricole's overall digital-asset portfolio. Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The publisher is not responsible for losses resulting from the use of any mentioned products or services. Readers should exercise caution before taking action related to the companies referenced.