E-money issuers choose the Netherlands for a regulator that publishes its forms, notes and success factors, and for the customer accounts foundation, a safeguarding structure Dutch banks know well.
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 two directors based in the Netherlands, 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 at least two directors who run the business day to day from the Netherlands, plus any supervisory board members.
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 to customers in the Netherlands or, through passporting, across the EU and EEA needs a DNB authorisation. The Netherlands is a well-regarded EU base with a regulator that publishes its application forms, explanatory notes and success factors, and a safeguarding structure, the customer accounts foundation, that banks understand. An EMI may provide every payment service under the same licence.
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initial capital | €350,000 |
| Ongoing own funds (Method D) | 2% of average outstanding e-money |
| Unrelated payment services | Method B generally; all three calculations submitted |
| Exemption | Outstanding e-money not above €5 million and €150 per account |
DNB applies the deductions in the capital requirements regulation to the own funds calculation.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory decision period | 3 months from a complete application, suspended during information requests | Financial Supervision Act (Wft) |
| Regulator’s published figure | DNB states the total period tends to be longer than three months | DNB application process timeline |
| Application preparation | 6 to 8 weeks | From instruction to submission, including banking in parallel |
| Our realistic timeline | 6 to 8 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | €10,400 | Payable on application; non-refundable |
| Annual supervisory fee | Set annually | DNB’s regular supervision costs are charged to licensed institutions |
| Initial capital | €350,000 | Held before authorisation |
| Professional fees | Fixed, in writing | Quoted after scoping |
A firm whose outstanding e-money stays below €5 million, with no more than €150 held on any e-money account, no agents and clean antecedents, may register under the exemption. It is registered but not supervised by DNB and must say so to customers; it may not passport; expansion outside the Netherlands must be reported.
A Dutch EMI passports throughout the EU and EEA on notification to DNB after authorisation, by branch, agent or distributor, or cross-border services.
DNB publishes its success factors for market access.
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 Netherlands and across the EU, during the application, so the firm trades on authorisation. See banking and payment processing.
Three months from a complete application by statute, suspended for each information request. DNB states the total tends to be longer; the firm plans for six to eight months after submission.
A customer accounts foundation: a separate legal entity that holds customer funds on the EMI’s behalf so that they are ring-fenced from the EMI’s creditors. It is the most common Dutch safeguarding method.
At least two natural persons in day-to-day management, working substantially from the Netherlands, each assessed by DNB for suitability and propriety.
No. The €10,400 fee is payable even if the application is withdrawn or refused.
Not under the Dutch licence. Groups serving both markets hold an FCA authorisation and a Dutch authorisation.
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.