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Spain is the EU base for payment groups that look to Latin America, with no application fee and one authorisation covering e-money and every payment service across the EU.
Selected engagements from more than 250 licences obtained since 2013, for payment, e-money and cryptoasset firms.
Volkswagen
Payment InstitutionObtained Nexpay’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Electronic Money InstitutionObtained Dzing Finance’s FCA Authorised Electronic Money Institution licence.
Obtained Orbital’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Our realistic timeline from submission to decision.
Safeguarding, operating and settlement accounts opened alongside the application, so you trade on authorisation.
We assemble your team: directors in Spain and a customer service head.
The licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing for your business.
You will need directors and senior managers who run the business from Spain, and an independent head of customer service.
One programme, from scoping to launch. Speak to an expert about this licence.
Requirements, capital, timing, fees and common questions, drawn from the regulator’s own publications.
A business issuing stored value in Spain or, through passporting, across the EU and EEA needs authorisation from the Banco de España. Spain is a gateway to Latin America for payment groups. An EMI may provide every payment service under the same authorisation.
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initial capital | €350,000 |
| Ongoing own funds | Higher of €350,000 and 2% of average outstanding e-money (prior six months) |
| Adjustment | Up to 20% either way |
| Unrelated payment services | Method A, B or C |
Spain did not adopt a small EMI waiver; only limited-network exclusions apply.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory decision period | 3 months from a complete file; silence is refusal; the clock stops during information requests | Law 21/2011 and Royal Decree 778/2012 |
| Application preparation | 6 to 8 weeks | From instruction to submission, including banking in parallel |
| Our realistic timeline | 6 to 8 months after submission | Our own figure, from the regulator’s published data and our applications |
Regulator figures are quoted as published and converted to months. Our realistic timeline assumes a complete, well-prepared application.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | None | No fee or deposit |
| Annual supervisory fee | None published | The Banco de España publishes no annual authorisation fee |
| Initial capital | €350,000 | Held before authorisation |
| Professional fees | Fixed | Quoted after scoping |
A Spanish EMI passports throughout the EU and EEA by branch, agent or cross-border services on notification to the Banco de España.
The Banco de España’s applicant guide lists the causes of delay.
An EMI needs a safeguarding account, an operating account and settlement accounts in the currencies it serves. We open each alongside the application, so you trade from authorisation. See banking and payment processing.
Three months from a complete file by statute, with silence treated as refusal and the clock stopping during information requests. We plan for six to eight months after submission.
No fee and no deposit.
Yes. The Banco de España lists documents not in Spanish as a cause of delay; we prepare the file in Spanish.
No. Every issuer holds the full authorisation.
The EU authorisation covers the EU and EEA. Latin American operations are licensed locally; we advise on both.
A regulatory advisory firm to payment, e-money and cryptoasset companies since 2013, with more than 250 licences obtained in more than 60 countries. The firm builds licensed payment, e-money, crypto and stablecoin businesses: the licence, the team, the technology, the bank accounts and card issuing.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements and fees change, and the regulator’s own publications take precedence.
The licence, your team, banking and technology, delivered as one programme.