PANews reported on December 26th that, according to Cryptopolitan, the Central Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos Bankas) announced that following the inclusion of the EU's MiCA (MiAs) into domestic law, all cryptocurrency service providers must submit license applications by December 31st. Providing services without a license from January 1st onwards will be illegal. Regulatory measures include fines, website bans, and serious offenses may constitute criminal offenses, with a maximum penalty of four years imprisonment. The central bank requires those ceasing operations to promptly notify customers and complete asset return and migration . It was disclosed that only about 30 out of approximately 370 registered institutions applied, with about 120 actually active. Lithuania intends to act as a "gateway" for MiCA entry.