EMI licence (e-money institution)
An EU/EEA authorisation to issue electronic money and provide payment services - the workhorse licence behind most European fintech products.
An e-money institution can issue stored value (balances), execute payments and issue cards - everything a neobank-style product needs except credit and deposit-taking. Customer funds are safeguarded (segregated at a credit institution), not covered by deposit guarantee schemes.
EMIs passport across the EEA, which is why licensing hubs like Lithuania matter (the register counts are below): your "German" fintech may legally be a Lithuanian EMI. Fintechnologica shows the licence type, home regulator and register reference on every profile.
Primary source: Directive 2009/110/EC (E-Money Directive)
In the verified data
- The EBA register lists 428 e-money institutions in the EEA (as of 2026-09-18), led by Lithuania (94), Malta (43), Cyprus (35); the FCA register adds 263 UK EMIs, none of which passports into the EEA since Brexit.
- Lithuania alone authorises 94 EMIs - more than Germany (13) and France (28) together - which is why many products marketed as German or French legally run on a Lithuanian licence.
- E-money is the most pan-European licence class: 55% of EEA EMIs are passported into all 30 states. 100 live providers in this catalogue hold an EMI licence; browse every EEA EMI in the register index.
Recomputed from the catalogue and the official EBA, ESMA and FCA registers on every build — how we verify.
Questions to ask a provider
- Which regulator authorised you, and what is your register reference?
- Which EEA states have you notified for passporting, and do you operate there through agents or distributors?
- Where are safeguarded funds held, and are they segregated or covered by insurance?