Poland’s Crypto Crackdown: President Nawrocki Vetoes Bill, Slams Overregulation as Threat to Digital Freedom
Poland's path to crypto clarity just hit a presidential roadblock. President Andrzej Duda has outright rejected the nation's proposed cryptocurrency legislation, sending lawmakers back to the drawing board with a stark warning: this isn't regulation, it's strangulation.
The Freedom vs. Control Standoff
The veto wasn't a gentle suggestion. It was a full-throated defense of economic liberty against what the President's office labeled bureaucratic overreach. The bill's framework—crafted to align with the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulations—was deemed excessively restrictive, potentially stifling innovation and placing undue burdens on Polish crypto businesses and users.
Why the Hard 'No'?
Core to the rejection was the argument that the proposed rules went beyond ensuring stability and consumer protection. The President's critique highlighted provisions that could limit market access, impose disproportionate compliance costs, and ultimately push the vibrant Polish crypto ecosystem into the shadows or overseas. It's a classic regulatory tale: aiming for safety but designing a cage.
The Ripple Effect
This move throws Poland's crypto future into uncertainty. While MiCA compliance is inevitable for EU members, Poland now faces a tense renegotiation on how to implement it without, as the President warns, compromising foundational freedoms. The delay leaves businesses in limbo and investors navigating a gray area—ironically, the very situation regulation seeks to prevent.
A Signal to the Bloc?
Poland's pushback is more than a domestic policy spat. It serves as a pointed case study for the entire European Union on the tightrope walk of crypto governance. How do you build guardrails without walling off the road? Other nations watching may recalibrate their own approaches, seeking a middle ground between Brussels' directives and national economic character.
The ball is back in Parliament's court. They can attempt to override the veto with a supermajority vote or, more likely, go back to the drafting table. Either way, Poland's crypto industry is stuck in regulatory purgatory—a place where, much like a trader watching a volatile chart, all you can do is wait for the next decisive move.
Crypto community applauds veto while government officials sound alarm
First proposed in June, the bill has drawn pushback from industry advocates, such as Polish politician Tomasz Mentzen, who had predicted that the president WOULD not push it forward by signing even when it received a green light from parliament.
The bill had already cleared a major legislative hurdle when the lower house, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, approved it in late September 2025 with 230 votes in favor and 196 against.
The bill was then sent to President Nawrocki on 12 November 2025. The president’s veto thus concludes a long and complex legislative process involving multiple readings, revisions, and mounting concern from crypto-friendly politicians and businesses that Poland’s “local MiCA” could become far stricter than necessary.
While crypto supporters hailed the veto as a win for the market, several government officials condemned the move, claiming the president had “chosen chaos” and must bear full responsibility for the outcome.
One of the main reasons cited for the veto was a provision that would have allowed authorities to block websites operating in the cryptocurrency market easily.
“Domain blocking laws are opaque and can lead to abuse,” the president’s office said in an official press release.
President Nawrocki vetoes the crypto bill, citing overregulation
The president’s office also cited the bill’s widely criticized length, saying its complexity reduces transparency and leads to “overregulation,” especially when compared with simpler frameworks in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
The president stated that overregulation is an easy way to drive companies to the Czech Republic, Lithuania, or Malta, rather than creating conditions for them to operate and pay taxes in Poland.
Nawrocki also highlighted the excessive amount of supervisory fees, which may prevent startup activity and favor foreign corporations and banks. “This is a reversal of logic, killing off a competitive market and a serious threat to innovation,” he stated.
The Polish president’s refusal to approve the bill has triggered a strong backlash from top Polish officials, including Finance Minister Andrzej Domański and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski.
Domański warned on X that already now, 20% of clients are losing their money as a result of abuses in this market. He accused the president of having “chosen chaos” and shouldering full responsibility for the fallout.
Sikorski concurred with the criticism and noted that the bill was intended to regulate the cryptocurrency market. “When the bubble bursts and thousands of Poles lose their savings, at least they’ll know who to thank,” he wrote on X.
However, crypto advocates, including Polish economist Krzysztof Piech, countered, arguing that the president should not be blamed for the authorities’ failures to pursue scammers. Piech also pointed out that the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) will grant investor protections to every member state starting July 1, 2026.
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