The EU base most often chosen by e-money issuers that want low fees, a defined timetable and direct access to the central bank’s payment system from day one.
Selected engagements from more than 250 licences obtained since 2013, for payment, e-money, cryptoasset and consumer credit firms.
Volkswagen
Payment InstitutionObtained Nexpay’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Electronic Money InstitutionObtained Dzing Finance’s FCA Authorised Electronic Money Institution licence.
Obtained Orbital’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Our realistic timeline from submission, set against the regulator’s own published figures.
Safeguarding, operating and settlement accounts opened alongside the application, so you trade on authorisation.
Candidates introduced for directors, senior managers and an internal auditor, each assessed against the regulator’s standard.
A reply within three business hours and a written proposal the same day: the licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing.
You will need directors and senior managers with a good reputation and experience, and an internal auditor, with supervision kept separate from management.
One engagement and one timetable, from scoping to launch. Speak to an expert about the people, the banking and the technology for this licence.
The regulator’s requirements, capital, timing, fees and the questions firms ask, from the regulator’s own publications.
A business issuing stored value in Lithuania or, through passporting, across the EU and EEA needs a Bank of Lithuania licence. Lithuania offers the lowest fees and the shortest timeline of the EU regimes, access to the central bank’s payment system for licensed institutions, and a regulator with a dedicated newcomer programme. An EMI may provide every payment service under the same licence.
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initial capital | €350,000 |
| Ongoing own funds | Higher of €350,000 and 2% of average outstanding e-money |
| Adjustment | Up to 20% either way |
| Restricted licence | No initial capital; average outstanding e-money not above €900,000 a month |
Safeguarding of funds received by payment instrument applies within five working days of issuance.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory decision period | 3 months from a proper application; 2 months for a restricted licence | Law on Electronic Money and Electronic Money Institutions |
| Regulator’s published figure | Completeness check within 5 business days; the period restarts on supplementary documents | Bank of Lithuania authorisation rules |
| Application preparation | 6 to 8 weeks | From instruction to submission, including banking in parallel |
| Our realistic timeline | 4 to 6 months after submission | The firm’s own figure, from the regulator’s published data and its own applications |
Figures published by the regulator are quoted as published and converted to months. The realistic timeline is the firm’s own, for a complete, well-prepared application.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| State levy | €1,463 | Paid to the State Tax Inspectorate before filing; €1,235 for a restricted licence |
| Annual supervisory fee | 0.65% of income | On annual income from e-money issuance and payment services (2026 rate) |
| Initial capital | €350,000 | Held before authorisation |
| Professional fees | Fixed, in writing | Quoted after scoping |
An issuer whose average outstanding e-money stays below €900,000 a month and whose payment transactions stay below €3 million a month may hold a restricted licence, valid in Lithuania only, without initial capital or shareholder fitness tests. A full licence is required within 30 days of exceeding the limits.
A Lithuanian EMI’s full licence is valid in other Member States; branches and cross-border services are notified to the Bank of Lithuania. The restricted licence carries no passport.
The Bank of Lithuania publishes its reasons.
An EMI needs a safeguarding account that satisfies the regulator’s requirements, an operating account and settlement accounts in the currencies it serves. The firm arranges each through institutions that serve regulated firms in Lithuania and across the EU, during the application, so the firm trades on authorisation. See banking and payment processing.
Three months from a proper application by statute, with a five-business-day completeness check and comment rounds that extend the period. The firm plans for four to six months after submission.
Low fees, a defined timeline, a newcomer programme, direct access to the central bank’s payment system for licensed institutions, and passporting across the EU.
A licence for issuers below €900,000 of average outstanding e-money a month, valid in Lithuania only, without initial capital.
0.65% of annual income from e-money and payment services.
Yes, and it publishes its decisions, including refusals on reputational grounds. Shareholder and manager fitness is assessed closely.
A regulatory advisory firm to payment, e-money and cryptoasset companies since 2013, with more than 250 licences obtained in more than 60 countries. The firm advises on authorisation, compliance, safeguarding, banking and transactions, and builds the white-label payment and card technology its clients launch on.
A written proposal on cost, timing and requirements, the same day: speak to an expert.
This guide is general information for firms considering authorisation and is reviewed against the regulator’s published requirements. It is not legal advice; requirements and fees change, and the regulator’s current publications take precedence.
The requirements, the cost and the timing for your business, in a written proposal the same day.