How it works

Buying A Licensed
Company, Step By Step

From the first shortlist to the day the shares are yours. The timings below are what actually happens, not the best case.

A.I. Overview

Buying a ready-made licensed company takes four stages: shortlist and NDA, diligence on the entity, regulator approval of the new owner, then closing and handover. Most of the calendar belongs to the regulator, not to the paperwork, which is why a realistic timetable starts at three weeks and runs to three months depending on the licence.

Stage 1Shortlist and mutual NDA — same day
Stage 2Teaser pack and licence scope — 1–3 days
Stage 3Diligence: register extract, accounts, AML file — 1–2 weeks
Stage 4Change-of-control filing and approval — the regulator sets this
Stage 5Share purchase agreement, payment, handover — 1 week
What we do

What Protegra Does In The Middle

The reason a company costs more here than at its original source is the work below. Source platforms do not audit what they list; we do, and we stay in the deal until the entity has moved.

Before you pay

  • Verify the licence is live and in good standing with the regulator
  • Check registration data, capital and the filing history
  • Read the AML file the buyer will inherit
  • Confirm price and availability with the holder

Through the transfer

  • Prepare the KYC and UBO pack the regulator asks for
  • File the change of control and answer the questions it raises
  • Introduce the banking partners the entity will need
  • Support the share purchase agreement and the closing mechanics
Questions

Questions Buyers Ask First

01Does the licence really transfer with the company?
Yes — the authorisation belongs to the legal entity, not to its shareholders, so acquiring the company acquires the licence. What the regulator controls is who owns it: for most financial licences a change of qualifying holding must be approved, or at least not objected to, before the shares move.
02Why is the company name not shown?
Publishing the name of a licensed company that is for sale lets a buyer go around every intermediary, and draws regulatory attention to the fact of the sale itself. Every serious marketplace in this field works with reference numbers. The name comes with the teaser pack, under NDA.
03What exactly am I paying Protegra for?
For the position being verified before you see it, for the change-of-control filing, for the KYC and UBO pack the regulator will ask for, for banking introductions, and for support through the share purchase agreement and closing. That work is what the price includes beyond the company.
04Can I pay online?
No, and nobody in this market can. Transferring control of a licensed company requires buyer KYC and, in most jurisdictions, regulator approval. The shortlist sends an enquiry, not an order; money moves later, against a signed agreement.

Start with a shortlist

Pick the companies worth comparing. Nothing is sent until you decide, and the list stays in your browser until you do.

Open your shortlist ⟶ office@protegra.io