Payment licensing
EMI, PI, MSB and equivalents.
Šulija & Partners
Šulija & Partners is a Lithuanian law firm that supports the licensing of payment institutions. It analyses the requirements, prepares the documents and…
WALLESS
WALLESS is a Baltic law firm that supports fintech licensing and ongoing compliance in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Its website describes work on EMI and…
VLM & Partners
VLM & Partners is a legal practice in Azerbaijan that advises payment organisations and electronic money institutions (EMIs). According to the firm's website…
Tanner De Witt
Tanner De Witt is a Hong Kong law firm advising on financial licensing and regulatory compliance. Its practice covers virtual assets, SVF and MSO, as well as…
Sorainen
Sorainen is a Baltic law firm that supports payment, e-money and crypto projects. Its practice combines licensing, AML/CTF, fintech structuring and disputes…
SBSB Fintech Lawyers
SBSB Fintech Lawyers is a specialist legal team serving fintech, crypto and online gaming projects. It advises on several licensing models and combines that…
SALVUS Funds
SALVUS Funds is a regulatory consultancy for financial, crypto-asset and gaming projects. It prepares licence applications and handles contact with supervisory…
RemitSo Compliance
RemitSo Compliance is the consulting arm of RemitSo, supporting the launch and regulatory maintenance of money-transfer businesses. The operating entity is…
Regulated United Europe
Regulated United Europe is an international legal consultancy with offices in Estonia, Lithuania, Czechia and Poland. The registered entity is an Estonian OÜ…
PSP Lab
PSP Lab is a consultancy for launching payment and e-money organisations in the United Kingdom and the European Union. The company operates as a limited…
Prifinance
Prifinance is a consultancy for international business with lines for payment, cryptocurrency and gaming licensing, together with company formation and ongoing…
PDLegal
PDLegal is a Singapore legal practice for financial services and digital assets. It operates as a limited liability company, and its markets include Singapore…
NJORD Law Firm
NJORD Law Firm is a law firm that structures and supports payment institution licence applications in Latvia. Its Danish entity is registered under CVR…
Maxcorp
Maxcorp is a corporate and fintech services provider headquartered in Tallinn. The entity is MAXCORP PLC, with an office at Tornimae Business Center, Tornimae…
Mamo TCV
Mamo TCV is a Maltese law firm that supports payment and e-money institutions, including licensing and EU market entry. Its fintech practice also covers crypto…
LegalBison
LegalBison is a consultancy for launching regulated fintech businesses: payment institutions, e-money companies and crypto projects. The entity is STANDARD…
Legal Paradox
Legal Paradox is a Mexican law firm for fintech and digital assets, founded in 2017. It supports IFPE and IFC licensing, VASP and Banxico questions, AML/CFT…
Law & Trust International
Law & Trust International is an international legal and corporate practice that supports payment and crypto projects. The legal entity named is LANDT LEGAL…
Upcoming events: Payment licensing
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Related subsections
Licences for payment services
Holding client funds, issuing e-money, acquiring card payments or transmitting money is regulated almost everywhere. The right licence depends on what you do with money and where your customers are. This subsection lists law firms and consultants that prepare applications, build the required policies and liaise with regulators.
Main licence types
- EMI (electronic money institution): e-money issuance plus payment services; used by wallet, card and account providers. Common EU choices include Lithuania, Malta, Cyprus and others; the UK has its own regime.
- PI (payment institution): payment services without e-money — acquiring, money remittance, payment initiation.
- Small EMI / small PI: lighter national regimes with volume caps and usually no passporting.
- MSB (Canada) and money transmitter licences (USA): federal registration in Canada; in the US, state-by-state licensing on top of federal MSB registration.
- Payment aggregator licences: for example RBI authorisation for payment aggregators in India, including the cross-border PA-CB category.
What drives cost and timing
Ask advisers for a full picture rather than a headline price:
- minimum own funds and capital requirements;
- local substance: office, resident directors, MLRO and compliance staff;
- safeguarding arrangements with a bank;
- IT, security and outsourcing documentation;
- regulator review time, which varies by country and by quality of the application.
A "cheapest EMI licence" may be the right fit for a pilot but limit access to banks and card schemes later.
Choosing an adviser
- Track record with the specific regulator, not just the country.
- Scope: application only, or also policies, recruitment of key persons, bank introductions and post-licence compliance.
- Fixed fee vs hourly, and what is excluded.
- Ongoing support for reporting and audits.
Related hubs
Combine with company formation, compliance outsourcing and EMI accounts for safeguarding. Popular jurisdictions: UK, Lithuania, Malta, Canada, USA. Not legal advice — post a request to get proposals from firms.