# Licensing Atlas: fintech licences, regulators and laws worldwide

Source page: https://protegra.io/licensing/

The Licensing Atlas is a free, sourced reference on fintech licensing: which regulator issues which licence, what each licence permits, what it costs and how long it takes, the laws behind it with links to their full texts, and services few applicants know about, such as pre-application meetings. Every fact carries a source and a date.

## 

**43**regulators

**234**licences

**46**activities

**44**laws

**36**jurisdictions

## Browse

- [BrowseRegulators43 central banks, securities commissions, FIUs and gaming authorities](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/)
- [BrowseLicences12 families and 234 concrete licences, compared by country](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/)
- [BrowseActivities46 regulated activities and the licence each needs](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/)
- [BrowseLaws44 laws with summaries and links to the official full texts](https://protegra.io/licensing/laws/)
- [BrowseCountries36 jurisdictions on one map](https://protegra.io/licensing/jurisdictions/)
- [BrowseToolsPre-application meetings, sandboxes, fees and timelines, comparison, statistics](https://protegra.io/licensing/tools/)

## Latest regulatory changes

- V.4 of the VARA Company Rulebook and Activity-based Rulebooks, effective 19 June 2025 [1]: [VARA](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/vara-dubai/)
- 2027-10-25: UK's new FSMA regulatory regime for cryptoassets is scheduled to come into full force, after which only FSMA-authorised firms or firms protected by statutory saving provisions may provide regulated cryptoasset services in the UK. [2]: [FCA](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/fca-uk/)
- 2027-04-09 (12 months after 2026-04-08 royal assent): the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Act 2026 commences, requiring operators of digital asset platforms and tokenised custody platforms to hold an ASIC Australian Financial Services Licence in addition to any AUSTRAC registration: an AUSTRAC-only registration will no longer be sufficient for custodial digital-asset businesses. [3]: [AUSTRAC](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/austrac-australia/)
- 2026-09-30: FCA opens the cryptoasset authorization gateway at 7:00 AM for firms to apply for Part 4A permission or permission variations under the new FSMA cryptoasset regime ahead of full commencement (gateway application window closes 28 February 2027). [4]: [FCA](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/fca-uk/)
- 2026-09-23: ESAs (EBA, EIOPA, ESMA) issued Autumn 2026 joint risk update identifying ICT external third-party dependencies, cyber threats, and private credit as key structural vulnerabilities. [5]: [EBA](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/eba/)
- 2026-09-18: EBA published its final Guidelines on the management of third-party risk, delivering a simplified and proportionate framework aligned with DORA focusing on critical or important functions (CIFs). [6]: [EBA](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/eba/)
- 2026-09-18: MGA launched the AI Gaming Charter in partnership with the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA) to establish governance principles for AI integration in gaming systems. [7]: [MGA](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/mga-malta/)
- 2026-09-17: the CGA disclosed unauthorised access to its online gaming portal; the incident was contained but the investigation's full scope was not yet established. [8]: [CGA](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/cga-curacao/)
- 2026-09-16: European Parliament plenary confirmed Thomas Gstädtner as the new Executive Director of the EBA for a five-year renewable term. [9]: [EBA](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/eba/)
- 2026-09-16: ESMA updated and republished the Interim MiCA Register across all five datasets, recording 352 authorised CASPs, 174 non-compliant entities, 49 EMT white papers, 0 ART issuers, and 998 crypto-asset white papers. [10]: [ESMA](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/esma/)

## How the Atlas is built

Every fact on every page carries a numbered source: a regulator page, an official register, a legislation portal or EUR-Lex: and the date it was read. Specialists review the pages, and the data is re-checked on a schedule. Read the [methodology](https://protegra.io/licensing/methodology/), download the [open dataset](https://protegra.io/licensing/data/) (CC BY 4.0), or [report an error](https://protegra.io/licensing/methodology/#report).

## Sources

1. [rulebooks.vara.ae: virtual assets and related activities regulations 2023](https://rulebooks.vara.ae/rulebook/virtual-assets-and-related-activities-regulations-2023): retrieved 2026-09-24
2. [fca.org.uk: new regime cryptoasset regulation](https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/new-regime-cryptoasset-regulation): retrieved 2026-09-24
3. [legislation.gov.au: text](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00038/asmade/text): retrieved 2026-09-24
4. [fca.org.uk: how gateway will operate](https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/new-regime-cryptoasset-regulation/how-gateway-will-operate): retrieved 2026-09-24
5. [eba.europa.eu: esas call vigilance over external dependencies cyber threats](https://www.eba.europa.eu/publications-and-media/press-releases/esas-call-vigilance-over-external-dependencies-cyber-threats-and-private-credit-risks): retrieved 2026-09-24
6. [eba.europa.eu: eba publishes its final guidelines management third party ri](https://www.eba.europa.eu/publications-and-media/press-releases/eba-publishes-its-final-guidelines-management-third-party-risk-delivering-more-proportionate-and): retrieved 2026-09-24
7. [mga.org.mt: mga launches ai gaming charter following extensive industry](https://www.mga.org.mt/mga-launches-ai-gaming-charter-following-extensive-industry-collaboration/): retrieved 2026-09-24
8. [gamingcontrol.spin-cdn.com: 20260917 press release cga 17092026 (PDF)](https://gamingcontrol.spin-cdn.com/media/general_publications/20260917_press_release_cga_17092026.pdf): retrieved 2026-09-24
9. [eba.europa.eu: european parliament confirms thomas gstadtner executive dire](https://www.eba.europa.eu/publications-and-media/press-releases/european-parliament-confirms-thomas-gstadtner-executive-director-eba): retrieved 2026-09-24
10. [esma.europa.eu: markets crypto assets regulation mica](https://www.esma.europa.eu/esmas-activities/digital-finance-and-innovation/markets-crypto-assets-regulation-mica): retrieved 2026-09-24

Last verified 2026-09-24 · Author: Danil Marmysh · Reviewed by Anastasia Sidorenkova · © Protegra. Data: CC BY 4.0, cite "Protegra Licensing Atlas". Not legal advice.