Regulated activity

Lending

Granting a commercial loan, mortgage credit or a factoring facility needs a banking licence or a dedicated lending licence, under CRD Annex I (2) and national credit law. A bank can passport its lending across the EEA. A non-bank commercial lender instead needs a national licence or registration in each jurisdiction it targets.

Last verified 2026-09-24Markdown · Data (CC BY 4.0)
Lending: regulated activityCRD

Definition

Granting loans, including consumer credit, mortgage credit, factoring and financing of commercial transactions.

Which licence you need

Licence families that typically permit this activity:

Where it can be licensed

Jurisdictions where lending can be licensedAustraliaCzech RepublicEstoniaGeorgiaGermanyIrelandLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgNetherlandsPolandSlovakiaSpainSwitzerlandUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomAbu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)BermudaCayman IslandsDubai (VARA)Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)MaltaSingapore
Licences in the Atlas that permit this activity
EU/EEA passportDomestic
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM): Financial Services Permission for Accepting Deposits✓
Australia: Australian credit licence (ACL)✓
Bermuda: Banking Licence / Deposit Company Licence / Restricted Banking Licence✓
Cayman Islands: Bank Licence✓
Czech Republic: Commercial Bank licence✓
Czech Republic: Non-bank Consumer Credit Provider licence✓
Dubai (VARA): Virtual Asset Lending and Borrowing Services Licence✓
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC): Bank licence✓
Estonia: Credit institution authorisation (bank)✓
Estonia: Operating licence as a credit servicer✓
Estonia: Operating licence as a creditor✓
Estonia: Authorisation for operating as a financial institution✓
Estonia: Operating licence as a credit intermediary✓
Georgia: Commercial bank licence✓
Germany: CRR)✓
Ireland: Banking Licence✓
Latvia: Credit institution licence (bank)✓
Lithuania: Specialised bank licence✓
Lithuania: Bank licence✓
Lithuania: Peer-to-peer lending platform operator✓
Luxembourg: Credit institution authorisation✓
Malta: Credit institution licence✓
Netherlands: Bank licence✓
Poland: Commercial Bank licence✓
Poland: Lending Institution registration✓
Singapore: Banking Licence✓
Slovakia: Banking licence✓
Spain: Commercial bank licence✓
Spain: Specialized lending credit institution authorization✓
Switzerland: FinTech licence (Persons✓
Switzerland: Banking licence✓
United Arab Emirates: Commercial Bank Licence✓
United Kingdom: Consumer Credit Full Permission Authorisation (Part 4A FSMA)✓

Frequently asked questions

Can a non-bank lending company fund loans from customer deposits?

No. A non-bank lender cannot accept public deposits, full stop. Its loan book has to be funded from its own equity capital, wholesale credit facilities, institutional debt or securitisation, under whatever national non-bank financial institution rules apply.

Does corporate commercial lending require a European passport?

No. CRD gives a passport for lending only to an authorised credit institution. A non-bank lending company has to comply with national licensing, notification or exemption rules separately in each member state it lends into.

Last verified 2026-09-24Author Danil Marmysh, Founder & CEO, ProtegraReviewed by Anastasia Sidorenkova, Head of Licensing, ProtegraReport an errorReference information, not legal advice.

Sources

  1. CRD Annex I (2) · retrieved 2026-09-24

Planning lending? Get the licence right first

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