MiCA Rollout Disrupts 82% of Western Europe’s Crypto Media in Q1 2025

Key Points:

• 81.61% of crypto-native media outlets in Western Europe saw traffic losses in Q1 2025.

• Germany and France emerged as the largest language hubs for crypto media, but also faced the steepest penalties.

• Generalist finance and tech platforms proved more resilient, generating over four times the reach of crypto-only outlets.

Crypto media in Western Europe is facing a broad contraction, with 82 percent of crypto-dedicated outlets seeing a decline in traffic during Q1 2025. According to a new report published by Outset PR , the early enforcement of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, combined with a March 2025 Google algorithm update, has reshaped the digital media ecosystem for crypto news across the region.

The research, compiled by Outset PR’s analytics team, evaluates the Q1 2025 performance of 133 media outlets with a crypto focus or section. The report separates 87 crypto-native publications from 46 broader finance, tech, or news platforms that maintain crypto coverage. All traffic data is sourced from SimilarWeb and Ahrefs and includes both mobile and desktop reach.

While Western Europe continues to show rising interest in digital assets, with steady or growing user adoption in countries like Italy, France, and the Netherlands, the underlying media infrastructure appears increasingly fragile under current market and regulatory pressures.

Market Correction, Algorithm Changes, and Regulatory Pressures Combined

According to Outset PR, the contraction in traffic began in January, but worsened in February and March. The Google update in March 2025 penalized undifferentiated, AI-generated, or thin content, particularly on sites lacking compliance disclaimers or editorial transparency. These penalties disproportionately impacted crypto-only outlets that frequently rely on affiliate marketing, investment-style language, or short-form coverage.

Simultaneously, the soft implementation of MiCA triggered national-level adjustments. Though MiCA’s full enforcement is scheduled for later in 2025, several European countries, including Germany and Italy, have already begun aligning local guidelines with the regulation. As a result, search engines began deprioritizing crypto-related content associated with platforms that were seen as lacking jurisdictional clarity or operating in the unlicensed space.

Outset PR’s data indicates that 81.61 percent of crypto-native media outlets posted a decline in visibility during Q1, with only 18.39 percent recording any form of growth. March 2025 closed with 58.62 percent of tracked outlets still in the red. Total regional traffic for crypto-dedicated media dropped to 22.22 million visits, a decline of 16.37 percent from January’s 26.57 million.

Regional Breakdown: Germany, France, and Italy Hit Hardest

Germany hosts the largest number of crypto-native outlets in the region, representing 39.08 percent of the dataset. It also experienced some of the most severe losses. In February, Germany’s financial regulator BaFin issued warnings against “investment-like promotion” of crypto assets by unlicensed entities, including publishers. This resulted in sharp visibility losses for several German-language sites.

Notable declines included Coin-Update (minus 51.47 percent), Krypto News (minus 47.98 percent), Krypto Magazin (minus 45.40 percent), and BitcoinBlog.de (minus 38.77 percent). Although some of these outlets rebounded slightly in March, only 9 out of 34 German-speaking publications recorded overall quarterly growth.

France showed a similar pattern. The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) emphasized content transparency and risk disclosure for crypto-related materials. As a result, 72 percent of French-language crypto outlets reported declining traffic. The Blog (minus 71.86 percent), Coinhouse (minus 42.78 percent), and CryptoNews France (minus 41.54 percent) were among the worst affected. Only a few platforms, such as Blockchain France and InvestX, posted recovery by the end of the quarter, likely due to early implementation of MiCA-aligned practices.

Italy experienced the steepest structural decline across all regional markets. Under advisories issued by CONSOB, Italian crypto media faced increasing scrutiny for unlicensed promotional content and influencer-driven endorsements. Nearly all Italian crypto outlets declined in Q1, with losses exceeding 40 percent for CryptoNews, Cointelegraph Italy, and The Cryptonomist. Only Borsainside showed stable growth throughout the quarter.

Netherlands and Spain: Algorithm Sensitivity and Advertising Restrictions

Dutch-speaking outlets, which serve both the Netherlands and parts of Belgium, experienced heavy losses linked more to algorithmic visibility than regulation. In February, over 76 percent of Dutch-language crypto outlets saw traffic drop. Bitcoin Magazine NL declined by 36.78 percent, and Marketupdate fell by 46.25 percent. Only Coinmarketcap.nl and Beste Bank recorded positive quarterly growth, suggesting that localized SEO strategies and broader language coverage may have helped cushion the impact.

In Spain, new advertising guidelines enforced by the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV) led to reduced exposure for crypto platforms hosting promotional content. Seven of ten Spanish-language crypto outlets declined in February. CriptoPasion dropped by 46.68 percent, while Cointelegraph en Español ended the quarter down 21.27 percent despite a short-lived March recovery. Bit2Me News was the only outlet to show sustained growth, with a 149.40 percent increase, attributed to localized content and stronger regulatory alignment.

The UK and Broader Context: Visibility Without MiCA Protection

Although the United Kingdom is not under MiCA jurisdiction, its crypto media was similarly affected by local regulatory changes. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) introduced new rules in January 2025 extending its financial promotion regime to crypto assets. These rules resulted in lower ad spend, search engine suppression, and user skepticism. Most UK-based crypto outlets saw traffic declines, with only MyCryptoSpaceUK and The Market Periodical posting consistent gains.

Interestingly, The Market Periodical expanded its reach significantly by introducing local domains and multilingual support, including French, German, and Spanish editions. This strategy not only improved SEO alignment but also demonstrated the value of adaptive content localization under tightening regulations.

Consolidation, Discover Visibility, and Media Strategy Implications

Outset PR’s research reveals that only 13 crypto-native publications accounted for 78 percent of the total regional audience. These included major players like BTC Echo, Crypto Insiders, and national editions of Cointelegraph and Newsbit. In contrast, the remaining 58 low-traffic outlets contributed just 6.24 percent of total visits.

Only 26 crypto-native outlets were eligible for Google Discover visibility, and only 20 appeared consistently. Most high-visibility platforms in Discover were larger or multilingual publications. Sites like Newsbit.nl, Cointribune, and The Market Periodical maintained Discover access, but even these faced volatility depending on geopolitical shifts and market sentiment.

The findings suggest that visibility is no longer driven by publication volume alone, but by compliance, multilingual coverage, and engagement metrics.

Generalist Outlets Prove More Resilient

Generalist finance and tech news outlets outperformed crypto-only publications throughout Q1 2025. These 46 platforms, tracked by Outset PR, collectively generated over 106 million visits, more than four times the reach of crypto-native media.

More than half (54.35 percent) of these non-crypto-only platforms recorded traffic growth. High-performing generalist outlets included Investing.com (in multiple languages), Finanzen.net, and Boursier.com. These sites benefited from better domain authority, diversified content portfolios, and broader macroeconomic reporting.

Countries like Spain and Italy, despite weaker crypto-native ecosystems, showed strong growth among generalist finance platforms. For example, FinanzaOnline and Investing.com Italy drew millions of visits per month, often exceeding the combined traffic of all domestic crypto-dedicated sites.

A Hybrid Media Strategy for a Fragmented Landscape

Outset PR’s data shows that crypto media in Western Europe is now highly fragmented and fragile. Success in this environment depends on a hybrid media strategy. Communications teams must engage both large generalist platforms for mass-market reach and credible crypto-dedicated outlets for niche authority and SEO performance.

Regional language preferences, content transparency, compliance status, and publishing infrastructure now all factor into a media outlet’s discoverability. With less than one in five crypto-native outlets posting growth in Q1 2025, the barriers to visibility are rising.

The Outset PR report underscores the importance of real-time media monitoring, multilingual adaptation, and regulatory awareness for any team planning to launch, expand, or sustain a crypto-related brand presence in Western Europe.