Argentina · BCRA · CNV · SSN · UIF

Argentina financial licences and regulator dossier

Banco Central de la Republica Argentina authorises financial institutions and maintains payment-service and exchange registers. Comision Nacional de Valores regulates securities, capital-market agents, collective investment products, crowdfunding and virtual-asset service providers. Superintendencia de Seguros de la Nacion supervises insurance and reinsurance, while UIF controls the statutory AML reporting framework.

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Route facts

Jurisdiction facts

Banking

BCRA authorisation under the Financial Institutions Law and current prudential rules

PSP status

BCRA registration by payment function; registration is not a bank licence

Securities

CNV registers agents, markets, funds, infrastructure and public offerings

Virtual assets

CNV PSAV registration under Law 27.739 and General Resolution 1058

Insurance

SSN authorises insurers and supervises reinsurers and intermediaries

Capital basis

Category, function, customer assets and risk determine capital, reserves and safeguarding

Territorial reach

Argentine status creates no automatic operating right outside Argentina

Review date

Regulatory position reviewed as of 11 July 2026

Regulatory perimeter

Function-specific registration is not a bank charter

BCRA's payment-services register separates providers of payment accounts, acceptors, QR administrators, initiators, acquirers, ATM networks, aggregators, electronic-funds-transfer networks and extra-bank collection services. A firm can require more than one recorded function. PSP registration subjects it to BCRA rules applicable to that function, but it does not permit deposit taking, financial intermediation, securities activity or insurance. Customer payment funds and bank deposits have different legal treatment.

CNV's PSAV framework is also a registration, not a banking or securities licence. Law 27.739 introduced the definition and CNV register, while General Resolution 1058 sets the current registration framework. CNV regulates the PSAV as a service provider; virtual assets themselves are not securities unless they meet the securities definition. A PSAV dealing in securities, payment accounts, foreign exchange or derivatives can therefore trigger CNV, BCRA and other permissions in parallel. UIF registration as an AML reporting person adds duties, not operating scope.

Permission map

Argentina licence and registration families

Permission family	Regulator and instrument	Activities and exclusions	Eligibility, capital and control
Permission family Banks and deposit-taking institutions	Regulator and instrument BCRA authorisation under the Financial Institutions Law for a bank or other financial institution in the approved class	Activities and exclusions Take deposits, provide credit and conduct approved financial operations; PSP, securities and insurance functions can require separate status	Eligibility, capital and control Argentine company or permitted branch, suitable controllers and management, source of funds, local operations, viable plan and class-specific minimum and risk-based capital and liquidity
Permission family Finance companies and regulated credit institutions	Regulator and instrument BCRA authorisation for the appropriate financial-institution category where financial intermediation or regulated funding is conducted	Activities and exclusions Lend or finance within the authorised class; no unrestricted deposit taking or securities, insurance and PSAV authority	Eligibility, capital and control Prescribed local form, ownership and management review, governance, credit-risk and AML controls, capital, liquidity, provisioning and reporting under BCRA rules
Permission family Payment accounts and wallets	Regulator and instrument BCRA registration as a payment-service provider offering payment accounts and any other recorded payment functions	Activities and exclusions Maintain payment accounts, execute transfers and provide approved wallet functions; balances are not bank deposits and PSP status does not authorise lending from customer funds	Eligibility, capital and control Argentine legal person, beneficial owners and managers disclosed, customer-fund segregation, liquidity, fraud, cyber, AML/CFT, complaints and reporting under PSP rules
Permission family Acquiring, acceptance, QR, initiation and aggregation	Regulator and instrument BCRA PSP registration for acquirer, acceptor, QR administrator, payment initiator, aggregator or other listed function	Activities and exclusions Conduct only the recorded acquiring, acceptance, QR, initiation or aggregation service; no payment account or custody unless separately registered	Eligibility, capital and control Local entity, function-specific filing, ownership and responsible people, participant agreements, technology, operational resilience, fraud, consumer and settlement controls
Permission family Payment networks, ATMs, transfers and collections	Regulator and instrument BCRA registration or authorisation for ATM network, electronic-funds-transfer network, extra-bank collection or other payment-system role	Activities and exclusions Operate the approved network or collection function; system status does not confer banking, FX or securities powers	Eligibility, capital and control Governance, access rules, resilient infrastructure, settlement and continuity, owners and managers, AML/CFT and resources proportionate to the network
Permission family Foreign exchange	Regulator and instrument BCRA authorisation or registration for exchange house or agency and permission for eligible financial institutions under exchange rules	Activities and exclusions Buy, sell or intermediate foreign currency within the category and current exchange-control framework; PSP registration does not add FX authority	Eligibility, capital and control Eligible Argentine entity, owners and management, transaction systems, AML/CFT, reporting and capital or guarantee under the operator category
Permission family Securities dealing, advice and portfolio management	Regulator and instrument CNV registration for the applicable capital-market agent category, including settlement and clearing, negotiation, advisory or management roles	Activities and exclusions Deal, arrange, advise, manage or settle securities within the agent registration; no deposit taking, insurance or unrestricted virtual-asset authority	Eligibility, capital and control Argentine entity or eligible person, qualified responsible officers, governance, conduct and conflicts controls, client assets, net worth and current CNV fee and reporting requirements
Permission family Markets, clearing, custody and infrastructure	Regulator and instrument CNV authorisation or registration for markets, clearinghouses, central depositories, custodians, registrars and other infrastructure agents	Activities and exclusions Operate the approved facility with access, surveillance, settlement and custody rules; a PSAV platform remains separately registered	Eligibility, capital and control Local operator, suitable controllers and executives, resilient technology, market and default controls, asset separation, audit and financial resources
Permission family Collective investment funds and managers	Regulator and instrument CNV registration of common investment fund and its management company, depositary or other provider under fund legislation	Activities and exclusions Establish, manage, administer or safeguard the registered fund; no banking or unrelated brokerage by implication	Eligibility, capital and control Eligible Argentine manager and depositary, offering documents, governance, valuation, custody, audit, conflicts, net worth and investor disclosures
Permission family Crowdfunding and public offerings	Regulator and instrument CNV registration for collective-financing platform and approval or exemption for the applicable securities offering	Activities and exclusions Host qualifying investment crowdfunding and distribute offers within the statutory route; no custody, lending or advice unless separately authorised	Eligibility, capital and control Argentine platform, suitable owners and management, technology, issuer and investor controls, disclosures, conflicts, net worth and reporting under CNV rules
Permission family Virtual-asset service providers	Regulator and instrument CNV registration as PSAV under Law 27.739 and General Resolution 1058, with UIF reporting-person obligations	Activities and exclusions Perform the registered exchange, transfer, custody, administration or other statutory virtual-asset services; securities and payments overlays remain possible	Eligibility, capital and control Argentine person or local form or permanent representation for a captured foreign entity, owners and management, AML/CFT, cyber, custody, disclosures and current CNV information requirements
Permission family Insurance, reinsurance and intermediaries	Regulator and instrument SSN authorisation for insurer and registration or supervision for reinsurer, producer-adviser, broker and other insurance participant	Activities and exclusions Underwrite, reinsure or intermediate only approved branches and status; intermediary registration does not permit assumption of insurance risk	Eligibility, capital and control Argentine company, cooperative, mutual or permitted foreign branch, suitable owners and officers, actuarial and risk functions, solvency capital, reserves, reinsurance and audit
Permission family Consumer, mortgage, leasing and non-financial credit	Regulator and instrument BCRA register for other non-financial credit providers where applicable; regulated institutions use their parent status, while ordinary own-funds lending follows consumer law	Activities and exclusions Lend, finance, lease or service credit within lawful capacity; no deposits, payment accounts or securities activity by implication	Eligibility, capital and control Correct entity and funding model, beneficial owners, contracts, rates and fees, credit data, complaints, AML duties and prudential resources only where the category imposes them
Permission family Trust, corporate and fiduciary services	Regulator and instrument No general stand-alone TCSP licence; financial trusts, custody and fiduciary administration use CNV, BCRA, professional or civil-law routes according to the assets and offer	Activities and exclusions Company formation and ordinary mandates grant no deposit, payment, investment or public fund authority	Eligibility, capital and control Apply corporate and professional rules and UIF obligations, and obtain the parent financial status for any reserved management, custody or public offering function
Permission family Pensions and retirement products	Regulator and instrument No open private pension-fund administrator licence comparable to the former capitalisation system; public social security, SSN retirement insurance and CNV investment products use their own regimes	Activities and exclusions Provide only the approved public, insurance or investment product; no generic private pension licence or asset-management authority	Eligibility, capital and control Use the competent public system or obtain SSN and CNV status for the underlying product and provider, with reserves, custody, governance and beneficiary disclosures
Permission family Gambling and gaming	Regulator and instrument Provincial and City of Buenos Aires licences or concessions under local gaming law; no single BCRA, CNV or SSN national gaming licence	Activities and exclusions Only approved gaming activity in the granting jurisdiction; PSP or PSAV registration does not authorise betting or casino operations	Eligibility, capital and control Local eligibility, suitable owners and managers, technical certification, responsible-gaming, AML/CFT, payment and player-fund controls and financial capacity

Entry file

Eligibility, governance, capital and customer assets

BCRA, CNV and SSN examine the applicant's legal form, beneficial owners, direct and indirect controllers, source of funds, directors, officers, competence and financial soundness. The operating file should cover governance, risk, AML/CFT, sanctions, accounting, audit, cybersecurity, outsourcing, complaints, continuity and records. PSPs add function-by-function transaction flows, customer-fund segregation, settlement and fraud controls. CNV agents, funds and PSAVs add custody, valuation, market conduct, key management and client-asset reconciliation.

No single Argentine fintech capital figure exists. Banks use prudential capital and liquidity; CNV agents and fund providers use net-worth and liquidity rules; PSPs use customer-fund and function requirements; insurers use solvency and technical reserves; non-financial credit and gaming use their own resources, bonds or guarantees. The current consolidated communication, resolution and fee schedule control. Payment account balances, securities, fund assets, insurance reserves and virtual assets require different legal and operational protection.

Application process

From perimeter to activation

1. Classify every function
Map deposits, payments, FX, credit, securities, funds, insurance, virtual assets, fiduciary services and gaming to the competent authority.
2. Confirm applicant eligibility
Select the required Argentine entity or permanent representation and document owners, controllers, source of funds, directors and responsible officers.
3. Build the regulatory operating file
Prepare plan, financial-resource method, governance, AML/CFT, cyber, customer assets, conduct, audit, recovery, outsourcing and wind-down evidence.
4. Submit each official filing
Use current BCRA, CNV, SSN and UIF systems and keep registration, authorisation and reporting-person status legally distinct.
5. Activate only the effective scope
Fund resources, appoint accepted people, test reporting and controls, and verify every final register entry and condition before activity.

Continuing supervision

Returns, control changes and moving payment rules

Ongoing obligations can include prudential capital, audited statements, regulatory returns, AML/CFT and sanctions reporting, consumer disclosures, complaints, market conduct, cybersecurity, incidents, customer-fund segregation, custody reconciliation and outsourcing oversight. A provider must update its register and obtain any new status before adding a function. A PSAV cannot assume it may add a payment account, securities dealing or FX merely because the technology and customers are similar.

Acquisitions and changes in owners, controllers, directors and key officers follow the competent authority's approval or notification process. The entity retains its status and regulatory history after a share acquisition. Buyers should reconcile every official register, recorded function, licence condition, customer asset, audit, complaint, enforcement and remediation. BCRA payment rules and CNV PSAV implementation have changed rapidly since 2024, so the live consolidated rules must be checked again at application, signing and completion.

Verify it yourself

Primary sources

Banco Central de la Republica Argentina
BCRA official registers and communications govern financial institutions, PSP functions, credit providers and exchange operators.
Comision Nacional de Valores
CNV laws, general resolutions and registers govern agents, markets, funds, crowdfunding, offerings and PSAVs.
Superintendencia de Seguros de la Nacion
SSN official rules and registers govern insurers, reinsurers, producers and other intermediaries.
UIF and official legislation
UIF resolutions identify reporting-person obligations; enacted national and provincial legislation controls where summaries differ.

FAQ

Argentina licensing questions

01 Is PSP registration a bank licence?

No. It records specified payment functions and applies BCRA PSP rules. Deposit taking and financial intermediation require the relevant financial-institution authorisation.

02 Is PSAV registration a securities licence?

No. CNV regulates the provider under the PSAV framework. If an asset or activity is a security, payment, FX or derivative, its parent regime also applies.

03 Does UIF registration authorise business?

No. It establishes AML reporting obligations. The business still needs every BCRA, CNV, SSN or local operating status triggered by its activities.

04 What capital is required?

It depends on the category and function. Use the current BCRA, CNV, SSN or local financial-resource rule for the exact applicant.

05 What happens when a regulated entity is acquired?

The entity retains its statuses, while incoming controllers and management complete applicable processes and inherit all conditions and supervisory history.

Reviewed by the SKY7 advisory team. Last reviewed: 11 July 2026. Regulatory statements are made as of July 2026. BCRA payment and CNV PSAV frameworks remain moving areas. This page is general information only, not legal, regulatory, tax, investment or financial advice. Verify current communications, resolutions, registers, functions, capital, fees and controller processes with each authority. No authorisation or regulator timetable is promised.

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