Electronic Money Institution Authorisation (Ireland)
The Electronic Money Institution Authorisation is issued by Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) under European Communities (Electronic Money) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 183/2011). It can be passported to the other EU/EEA states by notification. The application fee is EUR 0 (No application fee). Ownership changes need the regulator's approval before completion.
At a glance
| Official name | Electronic Money Institution Authorisation1 |
|---|---|
| Issued by | Central Bank of Ireland |
| Jurisdiction | Ireland |
| Licence family | Electronic money institution (EMI) |
| Legal basis | European Communities (Electronic Money) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 183/2011)2 Directive 2009/110/EC on the taking up, pursuit and prudential supervision of the business of electronic money institutions (EMD2)3 |
| Passporting | EU/EEA passport available |
| Application fee | EUR 0 (No application fee)1 |
| Annual fee | Minimum levy of EUR 6,625 plus a variable levy based on the firm's share of all transactions processed (Category N, S.I. No. 348/2026)4 |
What it lets you do
- Issuing electronic money
- Execution of payment transactions
- Money remittance
- Issuing payment instruments and acquiring payment transactions
- Payment initiation services
- Account information services
- Issuing electronic money. Issuing monetary value stored electronically against funds received, redeemable at par and accepted by third parties as payment.
- Execution of payment transactions. Executing direct debits, card payments and credit transfers, including standing orders, from a payment account.
- Money remittance. Receiving funds from a payer solely to transfer them to a payee or another provider, without opening payment accounts.
- Issuing payment instruments and acquiring payment transactions. Issuing cards or other payment instruments to payers, and acquiring card and other payment transactions for merchants.
- Payment initiation services. Initiating a payment order at the user's request from an account held with another provider, as in open banking.
- Account information services. Providing consolidated online information on one or more payment accounts the user holds with other providers.
Where it is valid
Cost
Buying a company that already holds it
Prior notification with an objection period. Direct or indirect acquisition or disposal of qualifying holdings reaching or crossing 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% of capital or voting rights, or resulting in the firm becoming a subsidiary, requires prior written notification to the Central Bank of Ireland; failure to notify renders the acquisition null and void. The Central Bank conducts a statutory assessment within 60 working days of complete acknowledgment (pausable once for 20 working days for EU acquirers or 30 working days for non-EU acquirers) evaluating acquirer reputation, financial soundness, and AML/CFT risks under the European Union (Payment Services) Regulations 2018, E-Money Regulations 2011, and MiFID Regulations 2017.5
Laws behind it
Sources
- centralbank.ie: payment authorisation · retrieved 2026-09-24
- irishstatutebook.ie: print · retrieved 2026-09-24
- eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32009L0110) · retrieved 2026-09-24
- irishstatutebook.ie: print · retrieved 2026-09-24
- centralbank.ie: notification process for proposed acquisitions of qualifying · retrieved 2026-09-24
Want the EMI licence in Ireland?
Tell us your business model and target markets. We check the fit before you spend on an application, then handle the licence end to end.
A free preliminary assessment: we check your business model against the licence before you spend on an application. We handle this licence and any other fintech licence, including jurisdictions the Atlas does not cover yet.