EMI licence: electronic money institution in the EU or the UK
Issuing electronic money — a wallet, a prepaid card, a funded payment account — requires an electronic money institution authorisation. Here is what our pages record for the two routes we handle most: the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Published on 3 November 2026 · Jason Pivron, director
What an EMI licence allows
The EMI authorisation covers the issuance of electronic money and the payment services authorised with it. It differs from a payment institution, which executes payments without issuing electronic money: if your model holds a balance in the client's name, the EMI is the one to aim for.
The choice is made at regulatory scoping, before anything is filed. A wrongly qualified model costs more than a call: the whole file would have to be redone.
Initial capital and client funds
Our catalogue records an initial capital of €350,000 for the EMI authorisation in the European Union. This capital is not included in our prices: it remains the company's own.
The other structural requirement is safeguarding: client funds must stay separate from the institution's own. We design this as a separate service — safeguarding arrangements design starts at €20,990, then €9,990 per year.
European Union: our prices
For the EMI authorisation in the European Union, our price starts at €87,390, then €42,890 per year. Government fees are included in our prices; regulatory capital is not.
An authorisation obtained in one country extends to the others through the European passport: €11,290 for one host country, further countries priced in batches.
- EMI authorisation — EU / EEA: from €87,390, then €42,890 per year
- Small EMI registration — according to the national regime: from €42,590, then €16,990 per year
- E-money distributor registration: from €22,345, then €4,990 per year — no own capital, the EMI is liable
United Kingdom: the FCA's AEMI
In the United Kingdom, the equivalent is the Authorised Electronic Money Institution with the FCA: our price starts at €111,701, then €39,990 per year. Capital follows the UK rules and the business model.
The UK small regime starts at €88,890, then €14,990 per year; it is open only to models that stay under its thresholds.
What follows authorisation
The authorisation is not renewed on a fixed date: it stands until the authority withdraws it or it is surrendered. But it brings ongoing obligations — capital, reporting, supervision, fees — which are the real burden of a licensed institution.
Adding a service or changing the model goes through an extension of permissions, from €24,990. Operational resilience is covered by DORA readiness, from €29,990, then €14,990 per year.
How we build the file
Everything starts with a free 20-minute call, then a firm quote before signature. The file — programme of operations, governance, anti-money-laundering procedures, safeguarding, ICT — is built by our team, which answers the authority's questions until the decision. The decision belongs to the regulator.
All our financial licences, by type and by country, are on the licences page. Nothing here is legal advice: every model is qualified case by case.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an EMI licence cost?
Our price starts at €87,390, then €42,890 per year in the European Union, and at €111,701, then €39,990 per year in the United Kingdom, government fees included, regulatory capital on top.
What capital is needed for an EMI licence?
Our catalogue records an initial capital of €350,000 for the EMI authorisation in the European Union; in the United Kingdom it follows the UK rules and the model.
Does an EMI licence need to be renewed?
No: the authorisation stands until it is withdrawn or surrendered, with ongoing capital, reporting and supervision obligations.
Is an EMI licence from one country valid elsewhere in Europe?
Yes, through the European passport, one notification per host country: €11,290 for one country.