Reed Smith Rolls Out Automated Compliance Platform for EU Crypto Firms

Global law firm Reed Smith has introduced an automated compliance platform called Aquarius to help European crypto companies meet the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) requirements. MiCA aims to establish a unified licensing and operational framework across the bloc's 27 member states, covering areas such as licensing, consumer protection, and requirements for digital asset service providers.

Aquarius is designed to streamline recurring regulatory work by combining automated workflows with legal expertise. The platform supports tasks such as crypto-asset classification, drafting regulatory white papers, conducting due diligence, and producing environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosures.

Reed Smith plans to extend the platform beyond the EU, targeting compliance regimes in the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The firm's announcement comes shortly after the EU's MiCA transition period ended on July 1, a date that marked the point when many firms could no longer depend on temporary national exemptions in jurisdictions that had adopted full grandfathering.

Aquarius is positioned as a way to reduce the time and cost of producing structured regulatory outputs. Reed Smith frames Aquarius as a hybrid approach, automation intended to speed up workflow steps, while the firm's legal team supplies the oversight needed for accuracy.