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Licence guide

Sweden payment institution and e-money institution licence.

Payment and e-money firms serving Sweden and the EU from a Swedish base need Finansinspektionen authorisation, the only route for payment services and e-money since registration closed in July 2025.

Published 16 October 2026 · Last reviewed 17 October 2026
FinansinspektionenRegulator
€20,000 to €350,000Initial capital
SEK 405,000Application fee
6 to 8 monthsOur realistic timeline
EU and EEAPassporting

Firms we have licensed.

Selected engagements from more than 250 licences obtained since 2013, for payment, e-money and cryptoasset firms.

Since 2013Advising global payment firms
60+Countries licensed in
250+Licences obtained globally
Clients
ClearBankVolkswagenMacmillan Cancer SupportRoyal College of MusicStaysureOval MoneyEMQCentus
nexpayPayment Institution

Obtained Nexpay’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.

dzingElectronic Money Institution

Obtained Dzing Finance’s FCA Authorised Electronic Money Institution licence.

Payment Institution

Obtained Orbital’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.

What you get

6 to 8 monthsLicence granted

Our realistic timeline from submission to decision.

Day oneReady to trade

Safeguarding, operating and settlement accounts opened alongside the application, so you trade on authorisation.

Your teamKey people in place

We assemble your team: a chief executive, deputy and board members.

Same dayWritten proposal

The licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing for your business.

How we get you licensed and live

  1. Scoping and proposal. We confirm the authorisation type, the services, the capital and the owners and managers to be assessed, and settle the team before filing, since a person added during the case opens a new suitability case.
  2. Application pack. The applicant and each assessed person registered in Finansinspektionen’s authorisation system, and the application with the content FFFS 2010:3 or FFFS 2011:49 sets, filed through the e-service.
  3. Banking. The special account for user funds with a credit institution and your operating accounts, opened alongside the application.
  4. Regulator engagement. The application fee is paid on the case-handler letter so the clock starts, and we answer every question through to the decision within three months of a complete application.

Your team, banking and technology

You will need a board chair and members, a chief executive and deputy, and a head of payments responsible for the payment services business.

Key peopleWe assemble your team: a chief executive, deputy and board members.
BankingSafeguarding, operating and settlement accounts, card acquiring and payment processing, opened alongside the application.
TechnologyWhite-label technology for accounts, payments, wallets and card programmes, ready to go live with the licence.

One programme, from scoping to launch. Speak to an expert about this licence.

The licence in detail

Requirements, capital, timing, fees and common questions, drawn from the regulator’s own publications.

Key takeaways
  • Finansinspektionen authorises payment institutions under the Payment Services Act (2010:751) and e-money institutions under the Electronic Money Act (2011:755); both passport across the EU and EEA.
  • Initial capital is €125,000 for account and card services, €50,000 for payment initiation, €20,000 for money remittance and €350,000 for an e-money institution.
  • The application fee is SEK 405,000, paid only after Finansinspektionen registers the case; the annual supervisory fee is proportional to the balance sheet with a minimum of SEK 150,000.
  • Finansinspektionen decides within three months of a complete application and paid fee; without a decision the authorisation is deemed granted.
  • Only a Swedish aktiebolag or ekonomisk förening may be authorised, with its head office in Sweden.
  • From 1 July 2025 the registration route for payment services and e-money issuance was replaced by a licence requirement; registration now covers account information only.

Who needs the licence

A business providing payment services or issuing e-money in Sweden, or serving the EU and EEA from a Swedish base, needs authorisation from Finansinspektionen. Since 1 July 2025 every provider of money remittance and other payment services, and every e-money issuer, holds a full authorisation: the former registration route for smaller providers was removed, with registered providers permitted to continue until 31 December 2025 or until a decision where a licence application was filed before 1 January 2026. Account information only remains a registration.

Authorisation types

TypeScopeApplication fee
Payment institution (betalningsinstitut)Any payment service; EU and EEA passportSEK 405,000
E-money institution (institut för elektroniska pengar)E-money issuance and payment services; EU and EEA passportSEK 405,000
Registered payment service providerAccount information onlySEK 232,500 (legal person) or SEK 105,000 (natural person)

What Finansinspektionen requires

  • Legal form and location. A Swedish aktiebolag or ekonomisk förening with its head office in Sweden; articles of association consistent with the Act.
  • Governance and suitability. Adequate governance and control for the payment business; suitability assessment of the board chair, members and deputies, the chief executive and deputy, and the person responsible for the payment services business, drawing on Police, Companies Registration Office, Tax Agency, Enforcement Authority and credit records under FFFS 2023:12; suitable qualifying owners approved by Finansinspektionen; insurance for payment initiation and account information services.
  • Safeguarding. User funds kept separate and, where still held at the end of the business day after receipt, deposited in a special account with a credit institution or invested in low-risk liquid assets, or covered by insurance or a guarantee from an unaffiliated insurer or credit institution; the same structure applies to e-money institutions. Finansinspektionen approves any method of estimating the safeguarded share of client funds.
  • Application pack. The applicant and each assessed person are registered in Finansinspektionen’s authorisation system and the application is filed through its e-service with the content set by FFFS 2010:3 for payment institutions and FFFS 2011:49 for e-money institutions. Finansinspektionen registers the case and sends a case-handler letter with the diary number; the fee is paid only then. Owner and management suitability reviews run in parallel.
  • Capital. Initial capital by service for a payment institution, with own funds under the methods in FFFS 2010:3; €350,000 for an e-money institution, with own funds the higher of initial capital and 2% of average outstanding e-money, adjustable by Finansinspektionen up to 20% either way.

Capital

RequirementAmount
Payment institution: account, card and other services (1 to 5)€125,000
Payment institution: payment initiation only€50,000
Payment institution: money remittance only€20,000
E-money institution€350,000
E-money institution: ongoing own fundsHigher of €350,000 and 2% of average outstanding e-money, with a 20% adjustment either way

Finansinspektionen may require up to 20% more, or permit 20% less, than the e-money calculation produces.

Timing

FigureValueSource
Statutory decision period3 months from a complete application and paid fee; authorisation is deemed granted without a decisionPayment Services Act (2010:751), chapter 2, section 9; Electronic Money Act (2011:755), chapter 2, section 8
Regulator’s published figureManagement suitability assessments within 60 days, about 2 months, run in parallel with the applicationFinansinspektionen, ledningsprövning
Application preparation6 to 8 weeksFrom instruction to submission, including banking in parallel
Our realistic timeline6 to 8 months after submissionOur 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.

Fees and costs

ItemAmountNotes
Application feeSEK 405,000Payment institution or e-money institution; paid after the case-handler letter
Additional payment servicesSEK 52,500Extension of an existing authorisation
Ownership approvalSEK 33,000Per qualifying owner
Management suitabilitySEK 11,500Per company; a person added mid-case opens a new suitability case and fee
Safeguarding estimate approvalSEK 11,500Approval to estimate the safeguarded share of client funds
Passport notificationsSEK 18,000EEA branch or cross-border services; agents SEK 33,000 to SEK 52,500 by band
Annual supervisory feeFrom SEK 150,000Proportional to the balance sheet total; registered providers SEK 50,000 (legal person) or SEK 30,000 (natural person)
Professional feesFixedQuoted after scoping

End of the registration route

Until 30 June 2025 a provider of payment services below €3 million a month, or a small e-money issuer, could register with Finansinspektionen instead of applying for authorisation. From 1 July 2025 both routes were replaced by a licence requirement (SFS 2025:254 for e-money; the Riksdag’s finance committee report 2024/25:FiU27 for the package), with the stated purpose of countering the use of alternative payment systems for money laundering. Registered providers and issuers could continue until 31 December 2025, or until a decision where a licence application was filed before 1 January 2026. Registration now covers account information only. A limited network operator notifies Finansinspektionen above €1 million of transactions in twelve months.

Passporting and scope

A Swedish payment institution or e-money institution passports throughout the EU and EEA by notifying Finansinspektionen before starting: agents, branches and cross-border services under chapter 3 of the Payment Services Act and the equivalent provisions of the Electronic Money Act. A branch outside the EEA needs Finansinspektionen’s permission.

Why applications are delayed

Finansinspektionen publishes its authorisation conditions and its fee rules rather than a list of causes of delay; its 2025 annual report records 5,759 authorisation cases decided with processing times it describes as good, without figures by sector. We plan around three points.

  1. The clock. The three-month period runs only from a complete application and a paid fee, and the fee is invoiced only after the case is registered.
  2. The people. Every board member, chief executive and responsible person is assessed against public records; a person added during the case opens a new suitability case and fee, so the team is settled before filing.
  3. The conditions. Finansinspektionen refuses where governance and control, the suitability of owners and managers, or the insurance for initiation and information services does not meet chapter 2, section 6 of the Act.

Your bank accounts

A payment institution 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.

Common questions

How long does a Finansinspektionen payment licence take?

Three months from a complete application and paid fee by statute, with authorisation deemed granted if no decision is made. We plan for six to eight months after submission.

What does a Swedish payment licence cost?

SEK 405,000 on application for a payment institution or e-money institution, SEK 33,000 per owner approval, SEK 11,500 for management suitability, and an annual supervisory fee of at least SEK 150,000.

Is there still a small payment institution regime in Sweden?

No. The registration route for payment services and e-money issuance ended on 1 July 2025; registration now covers account information only.

What capital does a Swedish institution need?

€125,000 for account, card and most services, €50,000 for payment initiation only, €20,000 for money remittance only, and €350,000 for an e-money institution.

What legal form is required?

A Swedish aktiebolag or ekonomisk förening with its head office in Sweden.

References

  1. Finansinspektionen: payment services, applying for authorisation
  2. Finansinspektionen: electronic money, applying for authorisation
  3. Finansinspektionen: fees
  4. Payment Services Act (2010:751)
  5. Electronic Money Act (2011:755)
  6. SFS 2025:254, amendments to the Electronic Money Act

About Buckingham Capital Consulting

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.

How we work.

  • Senior-ledThe same senior team handles your application from the first call to approval, including every question the regulator raises.
  • Same dayA reply within three business hours and a written proposal the same day: the licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing.
  • ConfidentialYour plans, your application and any listing stay private. Clients are named only with their agreement.
  • Live workspaceDocuments, regulator questions, messages and progress in a shared client workspace, visible to your team at every stage.

Why firms choose BCC.

  • OperatorsWe have run regulated payment businesses, held regulator-approved roles and licensed payment firms in more than 60 countries since 2013.
  • One teamOne in-house team runs the whole programme, from the application to the day you go live.
  • ArrangedBank and safeguarding accounts, card issuing and payment processing, arranged directly through our relationships with banks, card schemes, issuers and processors.

Apply for this licence.

The licence, your team, banking and technology, delivered as one programme.