Financial institutions planning to provide services related to the issuance and turnover of electronic money in the European Union must have an Electronic Money Institution license. This is a requirement of the EU directive 2015/2366. An EMI (Electronic Money Institution) license is a legal document issued by a designated regulatory authority.
One of the most attractive countries for FinTech entrepreneurship is the Republic of Lithuania, which has been among the top five countries in terms of the number of issued permits for several years in a row. Firms here can obtain two types of licenses related to electronic money, including EMI. The regulation of e-money licensing is the responsibility of the state-owned Bank of Lithuania.
Lithuania is a leading EMI hub, and these jurisdictions share its fintech focus, EU access, and business-friendly licensing environment.
| Name | Short description |
| Estonia | Estonia EMI license is appealing for digital businesses thanks to e-governance, remote administration, and a streamlined setup; like Lithuania, it suits fintech firms seeking efficient EU market access and practical regulation. |
| Malta | EMI license Malta offers a mature financial sector, EU passporting, and an English-speaking regulatory environment; compared with Lithuania, it is similar in cross-border flexibility but often valued for its established reputation. |
| UK | EMI license UK provides strong regulatory credibility, deep financial expertise, and a trusted market base; like Lithuania, it supports payment and e-money businesses, though it is outside the EU framework. |
Estonia offers many business opportunities that allow companies in this country to grow and increase their capital. One of them is electronic money services: by obtaining a license, entrepreneurs can operate throughout the European Union. Estonia also has a simplified tax system — the corporate tax rate is 20%, and retained earnings are not taxed at all.
learn moreThe Republic of Malta is one of the top three countries by the number of issued EMI licenses. Increased interest in this jurisdiction and the status of e money license Malta is caused by certain factors, among which are the single European passport, tax preferences, loyal attitude to foreign investors, and all-round active government support to suppliers and users of financial services.
learn moreThe United Kingdom continues to be one of the top jurisdictions for obtaining an EMI (Electronic Money Institution) financial license. Please note that this permission is a prerequisite for legal activities related to the growing popularity of electronic payments.
learn moreIn order to obtain an EMI license in Lithuania, it is necessary to prepare a business plan, AML policy and other documents, register a company, hire specialists for mandatory positions (director, AML officer, etc.). Integral elements for obtaining a license are a bank account and contributed authorized capital.
In order to obtain an EMI license in Lithuania, you must provide: the company's statutory documents, copies of passports and resumes of its participants, business plan, AML policy and other documents. The exact list of documents, depending on the characteristics of future activities you can find out from the specialists of our company.
The final cost of obtaining a license for a payment system in Lithuania is depends on the various factors (region of operation of the future payment system, planned turnover, etc.). You can find out the exact cost of obtaining a payment system license in Lithuania by contacting our specialists.
The terms for obtaining an EMI license in Lithuania depend on the speed of submission of documents by the company's participants, the necessity of searching for employees, speed of opening an account and deposit the authorized capital, as well as of the consideration of the application by the regulator. Estimated term for obtaining a license - 6 months.
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