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Services

Advisory for regulated finance.

Financial Licensing Advisors works with founders, financial groups and investors. We help them license, acquire and operate regulated institutions. Every engagement starts with due diligence on the client. We give an honest view of what a regulator will expect.

Eleven practices

What we do.

  1. 01 Bank licensing Business plan, capital planning, regulator meetings, application pack, fit and proper submissions, mobilisation and the first supervisory reviews.
  2. 02 Acquisitions and change of control Buy-side and sell-side advisory for banks and regulated firms: target search, due diligence coordination, valuation and the change-of-control application.
  3. 03 Payment and e-money institutions Licensing strategy and applications for payment institutions, e-money institutions and money service businesses, including safeguarding and agent models.
  4. 04 Crypto-asset service providers MiCA authorisation, white papers and the equivalent regimes in Switzerland, the UAE, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Caribbean.
  5. 05 Investment firms and FX brokers MiFID II investment firm licences, leveraged FX and CFD permissions, and international broker licences.
  6. 06 Online gaming licences Applications in established gaming jurisdictions, with the payment and banking arrangements gaming operators need.
  7. 07 Correspondent and payment access Pre-qualifying institutions and introducing them to correspondent banks in Europe, the Caribbean and Asia; SWIFT membership, card scheme membership and payment-rail access, which all depend on a strong AML framework.
  8. 08 Core banking and regulatory technology Ready-to-deploy core banking, core FX, compliance screening and regulatory reporting software; hosting in redundant data centres; web, ERP, CRM, HRM and telephony systems, all meeting outsourcing and operational resilience rules.
  9. 09 Credit unions, trusts and funds Formation and licensing of credit unions, trust companies, investment funds and fund managers.
  10. 10 After the acquisition or licence Licence renewals, registry and good-standing certificates, regulatory reporting, audit coordination with Big Four firms, banking-association membership and day-to-day operational support.
  11. 11 Governance and compliance Board composition, key function holders, AML/CFT frameworks and compliance monitoring, built to regulators’ expectations.

How we work

Clear scope, no guarantees we cannot give.

  1. Step 01Confidential contact

    Tell us what you want to achieve and where.

  2. Step 02Due diligence on you

    Identity, ownership, source of funds and sanctions screening.

  3. Step 03Engagement letter

    A written scope, timetable and fee.

  4. Step 04Delivery

    We work alongside your lawyers, auditors and the regulator until the licence or approval decision.