Operating licence as a creditor (Estonia)
The Operating licence as a creditor is issued by Finantsinspektsioon (FI) under the Creditors and Credit Intermediaries Act (KAVS). It is a national licence: it does not give a passport to other EU/EEA states. The official register lists 31 current holders. Ownership changes need the regulator's approval before completion.
At a glance
| Official name | Operating licence as a creditor1 |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Estonian creditor licence · Estonian consumer lending licence · Creditor licence · Estonian consumer credit licence |
| Issued by | Finantsinspektsioon |
| Jurisdiction | Estonia |
| Licence family | Lending / consumer credit |
| Legal basis | Creditors and Credit Intermediaries Act (KAVS), § 10(1)2 Directive (EU) 2023/2225 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 October 2023 on credit agreements for consumers3 |
| Passporting | Domestic only |
| Public register | official register1 |
| Current holders | 311 |
What it lets you do
| Lending | Granting loans, including consumer credit, mortgage credit, factoring and financing of commercial transactions. |
|---|---|
| Consumer credit | Granting or promising credit to consumers, including buy-now-pay-later, subject to consumer protection rules on information, creditworthiness and withdrawal. |
Where it is valid
Buying a company that already holds it
Prior approval required. Acquiring or increasing a qualifying holding reaching or crossing 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% of share capital or voting rights in an Estonian bank, payment institution, EMI, investment firm, or CASP requires prior notification and approval from Finantsinspektsioon. Filings are submitted electronically through the FI Application Portal (or via the ECB SSM portal for credit institutions). The statutory assessment period is 60 working days from receipt of complete documentation, interruptible once by up to 20 or 30 working days to request additional information, evaluating acquirer reputation, financial solidity, and AML/CFT compliance.4
Credit in other countries
| Country | Licence | Regulator | Min. capital | Application fee | Statutory time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Australian credit licence (ACL) | ASIC | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Cyprus | European Crowdfunding Service Provider authorisation | CySEC | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Czech Republic | Non-bank Consumer Credit Provider licence | CNB | n/a | CZK 50,000 | n/a |
| Czech Republic | Crowdfunding Service Provider authorizationCrowdfunding Service Provider authorization under ECSPR | CNB | n/a | CZK 20,000 | ~3 mo |
| Estonia | Operating licence as a credit servicer | FI | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Estonia | Operating licence as a creditor | FI | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Estonia | Authorisation as a crowdfunding service providerAuthorisation as a crowdfunding service provider under ECSPR | FI | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Estonia | Authorisation for operating as a financial institution | FIU | n/a | EUR 3,300 | ~2.8 mo |
| Estonia | Operating licence as a credit intermediary | FI | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| France | European crowdfunding service provider authorization | AMF | n/a | n/a | ~3 mo |
| Ireland | Crowdfunding Service Provider Authorisation (ECSPR) | CBI | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Italy | European crowdfunding service provider authorization (ECSPR) | CONSOB | n/a | n/a | ~3 mo |
| Latvia | Crowdfunding service provider authorization | LB | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Lithuania | Crowdfunding service provider authorization | LB | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Lithuania | Peer-to-peer lending platform operator | LB | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Luxembourg | Crowdfunding service provider authorisation | CSSF | n/a | EUR 30,000 | n/a |
| Netherlands | European Crowdfunding Service Provider (ECSPR) authorisationEuropean Crowdfunding Service Provider (ECSPR) authorisation under Regulation (EU) 2020/1503 | AFM | n/a | EUR 200 | ~4.2 mo |
| Poland | Crowdfunding Service Provider authorizationCrowdfunding Service Provider authorization under ECSPR | KNF | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Poland | Lending Institution registration | KNF | n/a | PLN 616 | n/a |
| Slovakia | Crowdfunding service provider authorisationCrowdfunding service provider authorisation under ECSPR | NBS | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Spain | European crowdfunding service provider authorization | CNMV | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Spain | Specialized lending credit institution authorization | BdE | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| United Kingdom | Consumer Credit Full Permission Authorisation (Part 4A FSMA) | FCA | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Values come from each licence's page, where every figure has its source.
Laws behind it
- Consumer Credit Directive (CCD2): Directive (EU) 2023/2225
Sources
- fi.ee: supervised entities · retrieved 2026-09-24
- Estonian State Gazette (Riigi Teataja): KAVS · retrieved 2026-09-24
- EUR-Lex: oj · retrieved 2026-09-24
- taotlus.fi.ee · retrieved 2026-09-24
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