Regulator · Luxembourg

Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF): register, licences and requirements

The Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) is Luxembourg's unified financial supervisory authority. It regulates banking, investments, funds, payments, and crypto-assets, supervising 118 credit institutions, 79 investment firms, 21 electronic money institutions, 29 payment institutions, and 13 crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) authorised under EU MiCA Regulation. The CSSF oversees prudential soundness, market conduct, and AML/CFT compliance across the Grand Duchy's financial sector.

Last verified 2026-09-24Markdown · Data (CC BY 4.0)
Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier: regulatorCSSF

How to check a firm on the CSSF register

The CSSF Search Entities register can be queried by entity name, national CSSF identifier code, or entity category (such as EMI, PI, CASP, or Credit Institution), with advanced filters for legal status and authorization date. Active entries display the registered trade name, head office address, authorization date, validity status, permitted activity subgroups, cross-border European passporting services, and any applicable restrictions.4

At a glance

Official nameCommission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier
JurisdictionLuxembourg
TypeIntegrated financial regulator
HeadquartersLuxembourg1
Founded19982
Websitecssf.lu3
Public registerOfficial public register4
Licence types in the Atlas9

What CSSF supervises

The CSSF operates as the unified public supervisory authority for the Luxembourg financial centre, conducting prudential supervision and market conduct oversight over credit institutions, investment firms, payment institutions, electronic money institutions, investment fund managers, and crypto-asset service providers to ensure financial stability and consumer protection.3

  • Credit institutions and commercial banks15
  • Electronic money institutions and payment institutions16
  • Crypto-asset service providers and token issuers under EU MiCA Regulation17
  • Investment firms and professionals of the financial sector (PFS)18
  • Undertakings for collective investment (UCITS) and alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs)12
  • European crowdfunding service providers19

Licences CSSF issues

Lesser-known services for applicants

Available

Pre-application meeting / pre-assessment

The CSSF provides pre-application engagement through its Innovation Hub and dedicated supervisory departments (such as IPIG for payments). Applicants with concrete business cases at an advanced development stage can request a preliminary assessment and pre-application meeting by submitting an Innovation Hub Contact Form, business presentation, and legal memorandum to innovation@cssf.lu.5

Available

Innovation hub

The CSSF operates a dedicated Innovation Hub acting as a central point of contact for innovative financial projects, maintaining open dialogue on AI, DLT, blockchain, crypto-assets, and crowdfunding under a technology-neutral, risk-based approach.5

Not offered

Regulatory sandbox

The CSSF does not operate a national regulatory sandbox, maintaining an official policy that financial institutions and fintechs must operate within existing EU harmonized legal frameworks to ensure valid European passporting rights across the Single Market; innovation testing is instead supported through the Innovation Hub and participation in the EU DLT Pilot Regime (Regulation (EU) 2022/858).5

Application portal: eDesk portal (CSSF digital submission platform for licensing applications, approvals, notifications, ePassporting, and eRegister access)6

Fee schedule: Grand-ducal Regulation of 23 December 2022 relating to the taxes to be levied by the CSSF, as amended by Grand-ducal Regulation of 8 January 2026, setting one-off examination fees and recurring annual supervisory levies across all regulated sectors.7

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

Statistics

Number of licence holders by licence typeCredit institution authorisati118Crypto-asset service provider 13Electronic money institution a21Alternative investment fund ma256Management company authorised 157Investment firm authorisation79Crowdfunding service provider 0Payment institution authorisat29Electronic money token issuer 3
Current licence holders in the official register152021222324252627
  • 21 electronic money institutions holding an active authorisation in Luxembourg (official register, 2026-09-24)21
  • 29 payment institutions holding an active authorisation in Luxembourg (official register, 2026-09-24)26
  • 13 crypto-asset service providers authorised under EU MiCA Regulation (official register, 2026-09-24)20
  • 3 electronic money token issuers authorised under EU MiCA Regulation (official register, 2026-09-24)27
  • 118 credit institutions authorised in Luxembourg (official register, 2026-09-24)15
  • 79 investment firms authorised under the Law of 5 April 1993 (official register, 2026-09-24)24
  • 256 alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs) authorised under Chapter 2 of the Law of 12 July 2013 (official register, 2026-09-24)22
  • 686 alternative investment fund managers registered under Article 3(3) of the Law of 12 July 2013 (official register, 2026-09-24)28
  • 157 management companies authorised under Chapter 15 of the Law of 17 December 2010 (official register, 2026-09-24)23
  • 126 management companies authorised under Chapter 16 of the Law of 17 December 2010 (official register, 2026-09-24)29
  • 1,824 undertakings for collective investment (UCIs) registered in Luxembourg (official register, 2026-09-24)30
  • 56 support professionals of the financial sector (Support PFS) authorised in Luxembourg (official register, 2026-09-24)31

Fees and timelines

LicenceFeeAmount
Electronic money institution authorisationapplicationEUR 30,0007
Electronic money institution authorisationannualEUR 30,0007
Payment institution authorisationapplicationEUR 30,0007
Payment institution authorisationannualEUR 30,0007
Crypto-asset service provider authorisation under MiCA RegulationapplicationEUR 30,0007
Crypto-asset service provider authorisation under MiCA RegulationannualEUR 40,0007
Electronic money token issuer authorisation / notification under MiCA RegulationapplicationEUR 5,0007
Electronic money token issuer authorisation / notification under MiCA RegulationannualEUR 15,0007
Credit institution authorisationapplicationEUR 75,0007
Credit institution authorisationannualEUR 116,5007
Investment firm authorisationapplicationEUR 50,0007
Investment firm authorisationannualEUR 24,7507
Management company authorised under Chapter 15 of the Law of 17 December 2010applicationEUR 18,0007
Management company authorised under Chapter 15 of the Law of 17 December 2010annualEUR 42,0007
Alternative investment fund manager (AIFM) authorisationapplicationEUR 18,0007
Alternative investment fund manager (AIFM) authorisationannualEUR 42,0007
Crowdfunding service provider authorisationapplicationEUR 30,0007
Crowdfunding service provider authorisationannualEUR 10,0007
Time to licence: statutory 3-3 monthsStatutory3 months
Time to a decision for Electronic money institution authorisation: statutory deadline vs observed.
LicenceStatutory deadlineObserved
Electronic money institution authorisation3 months from receipt of a complete application, maximum 12 months overall8not published
Payment institution authorisation3 months from receipt of a complete application, maximum 12 months overall8not published
Crypto-asset service provider authorisation under MiCA Regulation40 working days from receipt of a complete application9not published
Credit institution authorisation6 months from receipt of a complete application, maximum 12 months overall10not published
Investment firm authorisation6 months from receipt of a complete application, maximum 12 months overall10not published
Alternative investment fund manager (AIFM) authorisation3 months from receipt of a complete application, extendable by 3 months11not published
Management company authorised under Chapter 15 of the Law of 17 December 20106 months from receipt of a complete application12not 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 causing an entity to become a subsidiary, requires prior written notification to the CSSF. The CSSF conducts a prudential assessment of acquirer suitability, reputation, financial soundness, and AML risk within 60 working days (interruptible once by up to 20 working days, or 30 working days for non-EU acquirers) under Articles 18 and 18-1 of the Law of 5 April 1993, Article 12 of the Law of 10 November 2009, Article 83 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA), and Circular CSSF 17/669 adopting the Joint ESA Guidelines.32

Laws CSSF applies

Recent and upcoming changes

  • 2026-09-10: CSSF announced the modernization of the prudential reporting framework for payment institutions (PIs), electronic money institutions (EMIs), and crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) transitioning from Excel to eDesk, with a testing phase from 1 January 2027 to 31 March 2027 and mandatory go-live on 1 April 2027.33
  • 2026-09-01: CSSF launched eRegister by eDesk, a centralised gateway and public API for fund identification data, with access granted under an agreement with CSSF IT compliance.14
  • 2026-01-16: Grand-ducal Regulation of 8 January 2026 entered into force, amending the 2022 fee schedule to introduce Section XXXI setting official tariffs for MiCA entities, including EUR 30,000 application and EUR 40,000 annual fees for CASPs.7
  • 2025-01-17: EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA, Regulation (EU) 2022/2554) became applicable across all Luxembourg financial institutions, enforcing harmonized ICT risk management, incident notification, and digital testing regimes.34
  • 2024-12-30: Title V of the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA, Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) became applicable, establishing the CSSF as the national competent authority for licensing CASPs and supervising token offerings, superseding the national VASP registration regime.17

Contacts and public register

Address: 283, route d’Arlon, L-1150 Luxembourg1
Website: cssf.lu3

Check whether a firm is licensed: official register4 · official register13 · official register14.

Frequently asked questions

Does the CSSF operate a regulatory sandbox for fintech startups?

No. The CSSF does not operate a national regulatory sandbox. The regulator maintains that operating strictly within existing EU harmonised frameworks is necessary to safeguard European passporting rights across the Single Market. However, the CSSF provides comprehensive pre-application guidance, informal assessment, and technical dialogue through its dedicated Innovation Hub.

What are the application and supervisory fees for an EMI licence in Luxembourg?

Under the Grand-ducal Regulation of 23 December 2022, as amended, the CSSF levies a one-off examination fee of EUR 30,000 for a new electronic money institution authorisation. Supervised EMIs pay an annual supervisory fee of EUR 30,000 for transaction volumes up to EUR 1,000 million (discounted to EUR 25,000 during the first three years) and EUR 40,000 above that threshold.

How does the CSSF regulate crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) under MiCA?

Since 30 December 2024, the CSSF regulates crypto services under Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA), which superseded the former national AML/CFT VASP registration. As of September 2026, 13 CASPs and 3 electronic money token issuers are authorised in Luxembourg. Standalone CASP authorisation incurs a EUR 30,000 examination fee and an annual levy of EUR 40,000.

What is the statutory deadline for the CSSF to decide on a payment institution licence?

Under the Law of 10 November 2009 on payment services, the CSSF must reach a reasoned decision within three months of receiving a complete application, and in all cases within twelve months of initial submission. In practice, end-to-end processing typically requires 9 to 12 months to complete governance, IT resilience, and safeguarding reviews.

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

Acquirers reaching or exceeding 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% of voting rights or capital in a CSSF-regulated firm must submit a prior notification. The CSSF assesses acquirer reputation, financial soundness, and AML risk within a statutory 60 working day period, interruptible once by up to 20 working days (or 30 working days for non-EU acquirers) to request supplementary documentation.

What online portals does the CSSF use for regulatory submissions and registry searches?

The CSSF operates the eDesk portal (requiring LuxTrust authentication) for secure digital filings, passporting notifications, and prudential reporting. For public verification, the CSSF provides the Search Entities platform and launched eRegister by eDesk in September 2026, enabling programmatic API access to public fund identification data.

Last verified 2026-09-24Author Danil Marmysh, Founder & CEO, ProtegraReviewed by Anastasia Sidorenkova, Head of Licensing, ProtegraReport an errorReference information, not legal advice.

Sources

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  2. cssf.lu: law of 23 december 1998 2 · retrieved 2026-09-24
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  5. cssf.lu: innovation hub · retrieved 2026-09-24
  6. edesk.apps.cssf.lu: getstarted · retrieved 2026-09-24
  7. cssf.lu: GDR 231222 CSSF fees (PDF) · retrieved 2026-09-24
  8. cssf.lu: law of 10 november 2009 · retrieved 2026-09-24
  9. eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32023R1114) · retrieved 2026-09-24
  10. cssf.lu: law of 5 april 1993 · retrieved 2026-09-24
  11. cssf.lu: law of 12 july 2013 2 · retrieved 2026-09-24
  12. cssf.lu: law of 17 december 2010 · retrieved 2026-09-24
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  15. searchentities.apps.cssf.lu: entite · retrieved 2026-09-24
  16. cssf.lu: payment institutions electronic money institutions aisp · retrieved 2026-09-24
  17. cssf.lu: crypto assets service providers casps · retrieved 2026-09-24
  18. cssf.lu: investment firms · retrieved 2026-09-24
  19. cssf.lu: crowdfunding service providers · retrieved 2026-09-24
  20. searchentities.apps.cssf.lu: entite · retrieved 2026-09-24
  21. searchentities.apps.cssf.lu: entite · retrieved 2026-09-24
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  32. cssf.lu: circular cssf 17 669 · retrieved 2026-09-24
  33. cssf.lu: evolution of prudential reporting for payment institutions e · retrieved 2026-09-24
  34. eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32022R2554) · retrieved 2026-09-24

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