Practical licensing explainers for founders comparing EMI, MSB, PI, VASP and gaming routes, with regulator expectations and filing sequence.
Practical licensing explainers for founders comparing EMI, MSB, PI, VASP and gaming routes, with regulator expectations and filing sequence.
Start with the regulated activity and customer flow, then compare capital, safeguarding, local substance, governance and banking dependencies. The founder's EMI guide explains how permissions map to an e-money product; the Canadian MSB comparison separates a fresh registration from an acquisition; and the change-of-control timeline maps regulator and completion sequencing for an authorised-entity acquisition. Use the archive to identify the questions a filing plan must answer before jurisdiction selection or document drafting.
Editorial archive
50 entries
The authorisation stays with the UK EMI while the FCA assesses the incoming controllers. Plan the 10% trigger, 60-working-day assessment, buyer evidence and approval condition as one transaction workstream.
The Exempt Scheme is the Isle of Man's private fund wrapper for fewer than 50 investors. Here is how the private-offer conditions, light scheme-level administration and licensed-functionary workstream fit together.
The Isle of Man's Alternative Banking Regime lets a substantial non-bank group build a private, merchant or group-treasury bank. Who qualifies as a restricted depositor, what Class 1(2) actually permits, and the 2026 fees and implementation milestones.
The Isle of Man's two non-retail fund wrappers launch through governing-body approval followed by notification within 10 business days. Compare their investor criteria, 2026 fees and functionary requirements.
The Isle of Man Professional Officer licence supports individual directors, co-trustees, protectors and enforcers. Explore eligibility, scope, Part 9 duties and 2026 fees.
A protected cell carries a £0 minimum capital floor and a £2,677 application fee; a standalone Isle of Man captive starts at £100,000 and £6,960. We set out the full 2026 cost ladder, dated and sourced, and when each rung is the right one.
What an Isle of Man banking licence actually costs in 2026 - the Fees Order 2026 figures, the £3.5 million capital floor and a practical timeline drawn from the regulator's published documents.
The IOMFSA publishes a 6-week-to-3-month standard for captive authorisation, a 4-6 week accelerated route and a set of pre-authorisation mechanisms. How the Isle of Man's published numbers compare with Guernsey and which route best supports a target launch date.
Official statistics show the Isle of Man fiduciary sector consolidating, so licensed TCSPs do change hands. We weigh the 3 to 6 month new-licence route against buying an existing Class 4/5 licenceholder through change-of-control consent.
A South African FSP acquisition combines a share purchase with ownership-profile updates, significant-owner notifications and prior approval of incoming key individuals. Here is how to sequence the workstreams.
Poland's MIP is a KNF registration for payment activity conducted only in Poland and within a rolling transaction limit. A KIP is a separate authorisation route for a broader, scalable operating model.
FINTRAC does not charge an MSB registration fee. The launch budget covers the entity, AML programme, compliance ownership, effectiveness review, banking and ongoing reporting, with scope driven by the operating model.
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