Regulator · Lithuania

Bank of Lithuania (LB): register, licences and requirements

The Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas, LB) is the central bank and unified financial supervisor of Lithuania. It regulates banking, payments, and capital markets, supervising 70 licensed electronic money institutions, 27 payment institutions, 8 specialised banks, and crypto-asset service providers under EU MiCA. LB also enables non-bank fintechs direct clearing access to Eurosystem SEPA payment rails via its proprietary CENTROlink infrastructure.

Last verified 2026-09-24Markdown · Data (CC BY 4.0)
Bank of Lithuania: regulatorLB

How to check a firm on the LB register

Search the official LB register by company name or licence number before you deal with a firm. A licence is valid only if the firm appears there with an active status; a name on a website, a certificate image or a registration number in an email is not proof.

At a glance

Head office of the Bank of Lithuania on Gedimino Avenue, Vilnius
Bank of Lithuania headquarters · Photo: Pofka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Official nameBank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas)
JurisdictionLithuania
TypeCentral bank
HeadquartersVilnius1
Founded19221
Websitelb.lt1
Public registerOfficial public register2
Licence types in the Atlas10

What LB supervises

The Bank of Lithuania operates as the central bank of the Republic of Lithuania and member of the Eurosystem, conducting integrated prudential and conduct supervision over credit, payment, electronic money, capital, and crypto-asset markets to safeguard financial stability.2

  • Electronic money institutions and payment institutions15
  • Commercial banks and specialised credit institutions17
  • Crypto-asset service providers under EU MiCA Regulation19
  • Financial brokerage firms and investment firms20
  • Crowdfunding service providers and peer-to-peer lending platforms21
  • Operator of CENTROlink, the payment system that gives licensed payment and e-money institutions direct access to SEPA22
  • Specialised banks: initial capital EUR 1 million, against EUR 5 million for a full bank9

Licences LB issues

Lesser-known services for applicants

Available

Pre-application meeting / pre-assessment

Through the Newcomer Programme, prospective applicants can present their business plan, ask questions about regulatory requirements and request a meeting with the Bank of Lithuania before filing an application.3

Available

Innovation hub

Bank of Lithuania maintains an Innovation Group acting as an innovation hub across banking, insurance, and capital markets, providing non-binding supervisory and perimeter guidance.4

Available · policy

Regulatory sandbox

Bank of Lithuania operates a cross-sector regulatory sandbox launched in October 2018; allows live testing of innovative financial solutions under agreed testing parameters and supervisory levers for proportionality without disapplying EU or national law.4

Fee schedule: State levies and supervisory fees for financial institution licensing under Government Resolution No. 1458 and Bank of Lithuania rules.5

Compare with other regulators: pre-application meetings · sandboxes and innovation hubs.

Statistics

Number of licence holders by licence typeSpecialised bank licence8Bank licence5Crypto-asset service provider 4Electronic money institution l2Electronic money institution l70Financial brokerage firm licen17Crowdfunding service provider 17Peer-to-peer lending platform 5Payment institution licence fo11Payment institution licence27
Current licence holders in the official register17231824152021252616
  • 70 electronic money institutions holding a licence for non-limited activity (register, 2026-09-24)15
  • 27 payment institutions holding a payment institution licence (register, 2026-09-24)16
  • 11 payment institutions holding a licence for restricted activity (register, 2026-09-24)26
  • 8 specialised banks authorised in the Republic of Lithuania (register, 2026-09-24)17
  • 5 commercial banks authorised in the Republic of Lithuania (register, 2026-09-24)23
  • 4 crypto-asset service providers authorised under MiCA (register, 2026-09-24)18
  • 17 crowdfunding service providers authorised under ECSPR Regulation (register, 2026-09-24)21
  • 17 financial brokerage firms authorised under MiFID II (register, 2026-09-24)20

Fees and timelines

LicenceFeeAmount
Electronic money institution licence for non-limited activityapplicationEUR 1,4636
Electronic money institution licence for non-limited activityannualmax 0.65% of income (government proposes 1% from 2027, min EUR 5,000 full / EUR 3,000 limited licence)7
Payment institution licenceapplicationEUR 8988
Payment institution licenceannualmax 0.65% of income (proposed 1% from 2027, min EUR 5,000 full / EUR 3,000 limited)7
Specialised bank licenceapplicationEUR 4,1579
Specialised bank licenceannualVariable supervisory fee based on annual balance sheet assets10
Time to licence: statutory 3-3 monthsStatutory3 months
Time to a decision for Electronic money institution licence for non-limited activity: statutory deadline vs observed.
LicenceStatutory deadlineObserved
Electronic money institution licence for non-limited activity3 months from receipt of a complete application11not published
Payment institution licence3 months from receipt of a complete application12not published
Specialised bank licence6 months from receipt of a complete application, maximum 12 months overall13not published
Crypto-asset service provider licence40 working days from receipt of a complete application14not published

Changing the owner of a licensed firm

Prior notification with an objection period. Acquisition or disposal of qualifying holdings reaching or crossing 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% of capital or voting rights, or becoming controlled, requires prior written notification to the Bank of Lithuania. The supervisory authority assesses acquirer reputation, financial soundness, and AML/CFT risks within a statutory 60 working days period (interruptible once by up to 20 working days for additional information) under Law on Banks Arts 24-25, applied mutatis mutandis to EMIs (EMI Law Art. 17) and PIs (PI Law Art. 10).13

Buying a company that already holds one of these licences is often faster than applying. See ready-made licensed companies · crypto digital assets · emoney payments.

Laws LB applies

Recent and upcoming changes

  • 2025-01-17: EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA, Regulation (EU) 2022/2554) took effect across all Lithuanian supervised entities, enforcing harmonized ICT risk management, incident reporting, and third-party provider oversight.27
  • 2024-12-30: EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA, Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) Title V commenced, establishing Bank of Lithuania as NCA for full CASP licensing and Art. 60 financial entity notifications.14

Contacts and public register

Address: Gedimino pr. 6, LT-01103 Vilnius, Lithuania9
Website: lb.lt1

Check whether a firm is licensed: official register2 · official register15 · official register16 · official register17 · official register18.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Lithuanian specialised bank and how does it differ from a full bank?

A specialised bank is a credit institution regulated under the Lithuanian Law on Banks with a reduced initial capital requirement of EUR 1 million, compared to EUR 5 million for a full commercial bank. It is authorized to accept deposits and extend credit across the EU, but is restricted from providing complex investment brokerage and advisory services.

Can non-bank payment and electronic money institutions connect directly to SEPA in Lithuania?

Yes. The Bank of Lithuania runs CENTROlink, a payment system through which licensed payment and electronic money institutions can connect to SEPA credit transfers, including instant payments, without routing through a commercial bank. Access is granted by the Bank of Lithuania to institutions that meet its participation rules.

What are the statutory decision deadlines for Lithuanian EMI and PI licence applications?

Under the Law on Electronic Money and the Law on Payment Institutions, the Bank of Lithuania must decide within 3 months of receiving a complete application. The clock runs only from a complete file: requests for missing documents restart it, which is why the whole process usually takes longer than the statutory period.

What regulatory approval is required to acquire a qualifying holding in a Lithuanian financial institution?

Acquirers seeking 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% of voting rights or capital, or control of an EMI, PI, or bank, must submit a prior notification to the Bank of Lithuania. The regulator conducts suitability, reputation, and AML/CFT assessments within 60 working days, interruptible by up to 20 working days for supplementary filings.

Does the Bank of Lithuania offer pre-application support and a regulatory sandbox?

Yes. Through its Newcomer Programme, prospective applicants can present their business plan to the Bank of Lithuania, ask regulatory questions and request a meeting before they apply. The Bank also runs a regulatory sandbox, open since October 2018, where participants test products under supervision, with some supervisory requirements temporarily eased.

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. en.wikipedia.org: Bank of Lithuania · secondary · retrieved 2026-09-24
  2. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  3. web.archive.org: newcomer programme · retrieved 2026-09-24
  4. esma.europa.eu: jc 2018 74 joint report on regulatory sandboxes and innovati (PDF) · retrieved 2026-09-24
  5. lb.lt: authorisation of electronic money institutions · retrieved 2026-09-24
  6. web.archive.org: authorisation of electronic money institutions · retrieved 2026-09-24
  7. 15min.lt: vyriausybe mokejimo ir e pinigu istaigos lietuvos bankui uz · secondary · retrieved 2026-09-24
  8. web.archive.org: authorisation of payment institutions · retrieved 2026-09-24
  9. web.archive.org: authorisation of banks · retrieved 2026-09-24
  10. ecovis.lt: specialized banks · secondary · retrieved 2026-09-24
  11. e-seimas.lrs.lt: 573b9080166911eaad00dac7ebcb2435 · retrieved 2026-09-24
  12. e-seimas.lrs.lt: 0b531920890111eb998483d0ae31615c · retrieved 2026-09-24
  13. e-seimas.lrs.lt: 9ba20892227e11e6acbed8d454428fb7 · retrieved 2026-09-24
  14. eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32023R1114) · retrieved 2026-09-24
  15. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  16. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  17. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  18. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  19. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  20. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  21. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  22. web.archive.org: centrolink · retrieved 2026-09-24
  23. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  24. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  25. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  26. lb.lt: sfi financial market participants · retrieved 2026-09-24
  27. eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32022R2554) · retrieved 2026-09-24

Applying to LB, or buying a firm it licenses?

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.