Regulation
Licensing and regulation, explained.
Step-by-step guides to licensing and acquiring regulated entities, and to the regulations reshaping the market: MiCA, stablecoins, PSD3, the EU AML package.
- 01 How to license a bank: from business plan to authorisation The full path to a banking licence: pre-application, the application pack, capital, fit and proper, IT, AML, mobilisation and realistic timelines.11 min read
- 02 Buying a bank: change of control and qualifying holdings How acquisitions of licensed banks and financial firms are approved: qualifying holdings, CRD Articles 22 to 27, timelines, due diligence and red flags.10 min read
- 03 E-money and payment institution licences How EU electronic money institutions and payment institutions differ from banks: capital, safeguarding, agents, passporting and the PSD3 transition.10 min read
- 04 Crypto-asset service providers under MiCA How MiCA licenses crypto-asset service providers in the EU: services, capital classes, white papers, transition, reverse solicitation and the travel rule.11 min read
- 05 Stablecoin regulation worldwide and the GENIUS Act How the EU, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK and the UAE regulate fiat-backed stablecoins, and why the US GENIUS Act matters to issuers elsewhere.11 min read
- 06 Investment firms and FX brokers: MiFID II licences, capital and leverage limits How investment firm and FX broker licences work: MiFID II authorisation, IFR/IFD capital, CFD leverage limits, offshore licences and Hong Kong Type 3.10 min read
- 07 EU payments reform: PSD3, the Payment Services Regulation and instant payments Where EU payments law is heading: PSD3 and the PSR, the Instant Payments Regulation, verification of payee, fraud liability and open banking.11 min read
- 08 The EU AML package and AMLA: what changes and when AMLR, AMLD6 and the AMLA Regulation explained: dates from 2025 to 2029, new obliged entities, harmonised due diligence and AMLA direct supervision.11 min read
- 09 Online gaming licences: Malta, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Curacao, Kahnawake and the UK How the main online gaming licences outside the US compare, what each regulator requires, and why payments and banking are the hardest part for operators.10 min read
- 10 Trust companies, fund regimes and private banking licences How trust company, fund administrator, fund manager and private banking licences work in Jersey, Singapore, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Ireland and Cayman.9 min read