"Most fintech licences fail at the bank, not at the regulator."
We check banks and card processors will work with you before applying to the regulator — that's what decides whether an e-money, payment or crypto licence can actually take payments.
How we work with fintech & crypto operators.
The regulator is only one of three parties that decide whether a fintech works. The bank is the second — the partner bank that holds customers' money, the card processor, the bank that sends payouts. The regulator where your customers are is the third — MiCA for crypto sold in the EU, the FCA for UK payments, VARA for crypto in the UAE.
We work on all three from day one. A licence that can't open a partner bank account or connect to a card processor is a certificate on the wall, not a business — and we build to avoid exactly that.
We work with founders applying for e-money, payment, crypto and money-transfer licences (EMI, PSP, VASP, MSB), and with established fintechs moving between regulators after Brexit or because of MiCA.
What we've seen go wrong.
- Applying for the licence before checking which banks and card processors will work with you — then getting the licence with no way to take payments
- Choosing Lithuania because it looks fast, without allowing for the Bank of Lithuania's current focus on capital and the qualifications of your money-laundering officer
- Not having enough capital: the legal minimum for an EMI is €350k, but the Bank of Lithuania and the FCA both want much more depending on your forecast volumes
- Assuming a UAE VARA licence lets you sell in the EU (it doesn't), or that a UK EMI can operate across the EU (it can't, since Brexit)
The steps, in order.
Every engagement is specialist advisory, quoted in writing before any work begins. No hourly billing.
- 01Checking which regulator, partner bank and card processor fit (2–3 weeks)
- 02Building the full application: business plan, forecasts, anti-money-laundering manuals, IT and customer-money procedures
- 03Filing, answering the regulator's questions, and any pre-application meetings
- 04After the licence: banking, card processor sign-up, the first audit and compliance oversight
Questions we hear from fintech & crypto operators.
- How long does an EMI licence realistically take?
- Twelve to eighteen months in the UK, and nine to fifteen months in Lithuania and Malta. Anyone quoting under nine months is usually quoting when you file, not when you're licensed.
- Can I run a crypto business from the UAE and serve EU customers?
- Selling crypto services to EU customers now falls under MiCA. A UAE VARA licence on its own doesn't allow it; you need to comply with MiCA or work through a licensed EU distributor.
- Do you provide the money-laundering reporting officer (MLRO)?
- In some countries we can introduce checked candidates or, through regulated partner firms, provide the MLRO directly. In most, we help you hire and set up the right person.
Explore further for fintech & crypto operators
Fintech Licensing
Licences for e-money, payments, crypto and money transfer (EMI, PSP, VASP, MSB), applied for with the right regulator.
Crypto & Digital Asset Structuring
Hold and trade crypto through licensed crypto firms, foundations and DAO-LLC structures.
International Banking
Personal introductions to 25+ private and business banks that are actively taking clients — UK, EU, Gulf, Asia, Caribbean, US.
Every engagement begins with a twenty-minute advisory call. The fee is in writing before any work begins. No hourly billing.