Bank / credit institution · Malta

Credit institution licence (Malta)

The Credit institution licence is issued by Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) under Banking Act (Cap. 371). It can be passported to the other EU/EEA states by notification. The legal decision period is 6 months from receipt of a complete application, and in any event within 12 months of its receipt. The application fee is EUR 35,000. Ownership changes need the regulator's approval before completion.

Last verified 2026-09-24Regulator MFSAMarkdown · Data (CC BY 4.0)
Credit institution licence: licenceBank

At a glance

Official nameCredit institution licence1
Issued byMalta Financial Services Authority
JurisdictionMalta
Licence familyBank / credit institution
Legal basisBanking Act (Cap. 371)1
Directive 2013/36/EU on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms (CRD IV)2
Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms (CRR)3
PassportingEU/EEA passport available
Application feeEUR 35,0004
Annual fee0.024% of institution-level deposits (minimum EUR 60,000, maximum EUR 1,700,000)4
Statutory decision time6 months from receipt of a complete application, and in any event within 12 months of its receipt1

What it lets you do

  • Taking deposits from the public. Accepting deposits or other repayable funds from the public, the activity reserved to credit institutions.
  • Lending. Granting loans, including consumer credit, mortgage credit, factoring and financing of commercial transactions.
  • Execution of payment transactions. Executing direct debits, card payments and credit transfers, including standing orders, from a payment account.

Where it is valid

Malta licence, passportable across the EU/EEAATBEBGHRCYCZDKEEFIFRDEGRHUIEITLVLTLUNLPLPTROSKSIESSEISNOMTLI
Issued in Malta (gold); can be passported to the other EU/EEA states (blue) by notification.

Cost

Cost components, upper bound total EUR 35,024Application fee: EUR 35,000Annual supervisory fee: EUR 24
Regulatory costs from the official sources above. Professional fees, staff, office and audit come on top and depend on the business model.

How long it takes

Time to licence: statutory 6-6 monthsStatutory6 months

Statutory: 6 months from receipt of a complete application, and in any event within 12 months of its receipt1. Observed: not published. The statutory clock usually starts only when the regulator treats the application as complete, and pauses while it waits for answers to its questions.

Buying a company that already holds it

Prior approval required. Acquiring or increasing a qualifying holding needs the MFSA's prior approval. For payment and e-money institutions the Financial Institutions Act sets the thresholds at 20%, 30% and 50%; for banks the Banking Act adds a 60-working-day assessment period that can be extended.5

Laws behind it

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. legislation.mt: 68b000f8d91e4409089afa3f · retrieved 2026-09-24
  2. eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32013L0036) · retrieved 2026-09-24
  3. eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32013R0575) · retrieved 2026-09-24
  4. legislation.mt: 69dcdc9839731123744423fc · retrieved 2026-09-24
  5. legislation.mt: 683418610db9942428cf9d49 · retrieved 2026-09-24

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