De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB): register, licences and requirements
De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) is the central bank and prudential supervisor of the Netherlands. Under the Dutch Twin Peaks model it licenses and supervises banks, payment institutions, electronic money institutions, trust offices and exchange institutions, supervises issuers of MiCA stablecoins and decides on qualifying holdings, while market conduct and crypto-asset service providers fall to the AFM. Its InnovationHub with the AFM and ACM gives free informal guidance but is not a sandbox.
How to check a firm on the DNB register
The DNB Public Register allows searching across financial sectors by entering an institution's statutory name or trade name, or selecting a specific financial service dropdown. Results display the firm's registered address, Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK) number, statutory authorization date, supervisory regime, permitted activities, and cross-border European passporting notifications.13
- DNB Public Register (central search portal for all regulated and notified financial entities in the Netherlands)3
- Complete DNB Public Register CSV download (official daily database export of all domestic and passported entities)3
- DNB Register of Payment Service Providers (licensed payment institutions, exempt PSPs, and EEA passported entities)13
- DNB Register of Banks (licensed credit institutions and incoming EEA passported credit institutions)14
At a glance
| Official name | De Nederlandsche Bank |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Netherlands |
| Type | Central bank |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam1 |
| Founded | 18142 |
| Website | dnb.nl1 |
| Public register | Official public register3 |
| Licence types in the Atlas | 7 |
What DNB supervises
De Nederlandsche Bank acts as the central bank of the Netherlands and integral member of the Eurosystem and ESCB, exercising prudential supervision over banks, payment and e-money institutions, trust offices, and financial market infrastructures to guarantee price and financial stability. DNB operates under the Dutch "Twin Peaks" regulatory model in tandem with the AFM, which oversees conduct of business.1
- Payment institutions and exempt payment service providers under Wft Arts. 2:3a and 2:3d and PSD215
- Electronic money institutions and exempt electronic money institutions under Wft Arts. 2:10a and 2:10d and EMD216
- Commercial banks, credit institutions, and branches under Wft Arts. 2:11, 2:12, 2:13, and the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM)14
- Trust offices and corporate service providers under the Trust Offices Supervision Act 2018 (Wtt 2018)17
- Exchange institutions (wisselinstellingen / currency exchange offices) under Wft Art. 2:54j18
- Issuers of Asset-Referenced Tokens (ARTs) and E-Money Tokens (EMTs) under EU MiCA Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114)12
Licences DNB issues
- Bank · Netherlands
Bank licence
Bank licence (Vergunning bank / kredietinstelling) - EMI · Netherlands
Electronic money institution licence
Electronic money institution licence (Vergunning elektronischgeldinstelling) - MSB · Netherlands
Exchange institution licence
Exchange institution licence (Vergunning wisselinstelling) - PI · Netherlands
Payment institution licence
Payment institution licence (Vergunning betaalinstelling) - EMT/ART · Netherlands
Asset-referenced token (ART) issuer licence
Asset-referenced token (ART) issuer licence under EU MiCA - EMT/ART · Netherlands
E-money token (EMT) issuer notification
E-money token (EMT) issuer notification under EU MiCA - TCSP · Netherlands
Trust office licence (Vergunning trustkantoor)
Lesser-known services for applicants
Pre-application meeting / pre-assessment
Prospective applicants can contact DNB's Expert Centre on Market Access (markttoegang@dnb.nl) for an informal pre-application consultation to discuss licensing requirements, business models, and submission readiness prior to formal filing.4
Innovation hub
Jointly operated with AFM and ACM, the InnovationHub provides free informal regulatory guidance to financial innovators within 5 to 10 working days on supervisory frameworks and market perimeter classifications.5
Regulatory sandbox
DNB does not run a regulatory sandbox in which rules are set aside. Its joint InnovationHub with the AFM and ACM explains how existing rules apply to an innovation, free of charge, but cannot exempt a firm from legal requirements.6
Application portal: My DNB (Mijn DNB) supervisory applications portal7
Fee schedule: Regulation on the Funding of Financial Supervision for One-Off Actions (Regeling bekostiging financieel toezicht eenmalige handelingen)8
Compare with other regulators: pre-application meetings · sandboxes and innovation hubs.
Statistics
- 305 incoming EEA electronic money institutions passported into the Netherlands (DNB Public Register, 2026-09-24)19
Fees and timelines
| Licence | Fee | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Payment institution licence (Vergunning betaalinstelling) | application | EUR 6,8008 |
| Electronic money institution licence (Vergunning elektronischgeldinstelling) | application | EUR 6,8008 |
| Bank licence (Vergunning bank / kredietinstelling) | application | EUR 44,3008 |
| Bank licence (Vergunning bank / kredietinstelling) | annual | Annual supervisory levy under Wbft 2019 and ECB SSM regulation based on total risk exposure and asset size9 |
| Trust office licence (Vergunning trustkantoor) | application | EUR 4,5008 |
| Asset-referenced token (ART) issuer licence under EU MiCA | application | EUR 10,0008 |
| E-money token (EMT) issuer notification under EU MiCA | application | EUR 3,2008 |
| Licence | Statutory deadline | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| Payment institution licence (Vergunning betaalinstelling) | 3 months from receipt of a complete application4 | not published |
| Electronic money institution licence (Vergunning elektronischgeldinstelling) | 3 months from receipt of a complete application10 | not published |
| Bank licence (Vergunning bank / kredietinstelling) | 6 months from receipt of a complete application, up to a maximum of 12 months overall11 | not published |
| Asset-referenced token (ART) issuer licence under EU MiCA | 25 working days to assess completeness, then 60 working days to draft assessment for EBA/ECB, total statutory decision within 4 months12 | not published |
Changing the owner of a licensed firm
Prior approval required. Under Section 3:95 Wft and MiCA Articles 41 and 83, acquiring, increasing, or disposing of a qualifying holding (direct or indirect holding of 10% or more of voting rights or shares, or exercising significant influence) in a payment institution, EMI, or ART issuer requires a prior Declaration of No-Objection (DNO / VVGB) from DNB (the ECB assesses banks). Threshold bandwidth upper limits are set at 20%, 30/33%, 50%, or 100%. The statutory decision period is 60 working days from receipt of a complete application, extendable once by up to 30 working days for RFIs, governed by lex silencio positivo.20
Buying a company that already holds one of these licences is often faster than applying. See ready-made licensed companies · crypto digital assets.
Laws DNB applies
- Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation: Regulation (EU) 2023/1114
- Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market: Directive (EU) 2015/2366
- Directive 2009/110/EC on the taking up, pursuit and prudential supervision of the business of electronic money institutions: Directive 2009/110/EC
- Digital Operational Resilience Act: Regulation (EU) 2022/2554
- Capital Requirements Regulation: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013
- Capital Requirements Directive: Directive 2013/36/EU
Recent and upcoming changes
- 2026-03-01: DNB guidance clarified that CASPs transacting E-Money Tokens (EMTs) that provide payment services must obtain a PSD2 payment institution licence from DNB, marking the boundary with AFM's CASP authorization.21
- 2025-01-17: EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA, Regulation (EU) 2022/2554) took effect across all DNB-supervised financial institutions, establishing harmonised rules on ICT risk management and incident reporting.22
- 2024-12-30: EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA, Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) Title V commenced, designating AFM for CASP licensing while DNB supervises ART/EMT issuers and prudential qualifying holdings.12
- 2024-06-30: EU MiCA Titles III and IV took effect, conferring competence to DNB for licensing and supervision of Asset-Referenced Token (ART) and E-Money Token (EMT) issuers in the Netherlands.12
Contacts and public register
Address: Frederiksplein 61, 1017 XL Amsterdam, Netherlands1
Website: dnb.nl1
Check whether a firm is licensed: official register3 · official register3 · official register13 · official register14.
Working with Protegra
From Protegra: CASP license in the Netherlands.
Frequently asked questions
What is the division of supervisory responsibilities between DNB and AFM in the Netherlands?
The Netherlands operates a "Twin Peaks" regulatory model. De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) oversees prudential supervision, financial stability, capital requirements, and licensing for banks, payment institutions, and EMIs. The Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) oversees market conduct, consumer protection, investment firms, and licensing of crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) under MiCA.
What are the statutory application fees and timelines for a Dutch payment institution or EMI licence?
Under the statutory fee schedule (Regeling bekostiging financieel toezicht eenmalige handelingen), the one-off application fee for both a Payment Institution and an Electronic Money Institution is EUR 6,800. The statutory decision deadline is 3 months from receipt of a complete application, though information requests routinely extend total processing time to 6 to 12 months.
When is a Declaration of No-Objection (DNO / VVGB) required from DNB?
Under Section 3:95 of the Financial Supervision Act (Wft), any person or entity seeking to acquire or expand a direct or indirect qualifying holding of 10% or more in a Dutch payment institution or EMI must obtain a prior Declaration of No-Objection from DNB. The statutory decision period is 60 working days, subject to lex silencio positivo.
Does DNB offer pre-application support or a regulatory sandbox for fintechs?
DNB, the AFM and the ACM run a joint InnovationHub: a free, informal information desk that explains how supervisory rules apply to an innovative product and aims to reply within 10 working days (usually 5 for simple questions). It is not a regulatory sandbox: DNB cannot exempt a firm from legal requirements.
Does DNB license crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) under MiCA?
No. Under the Dutch MiCA implementation, the Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) is the competent authority for licensing CASPs under Article 59. However, DNB supervises Asset-Referenced Token (ART) and E-Money Token (EMT) issuers, conducts prudential qualifying holding reviews for crypto firms, and licenses CASPs providing payment services with EMTs under PSD2.
Sources
- dnb.nl · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: history · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: public register · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: application process timeline · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: innovationhub · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: innovationhub and regulatory sandbox · retrieved 2026-09-24
- mijn.dnb.nl: home · retrieved 2026-09-24
- wetten.overheid.nl: 2024 12 30 · retrieved 2026-09-24
- wetten.overheid.nl: BWBR0041548 · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: how long will it take to consider my application for authori · retrieved 2026-09-24
- EUR-Lex: CELEX 32013L0036 · retrieved 2026-09-24
- EUR-Lex: CELEX 32023R1114 · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: register of payment service providers · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: register of banks · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: licensing requirement for payment service providers overview · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: authorisation as an electronic money institution overview · retrieved 2026-09-24
- wetten.overheid.nl: BWBR0041583 · retrieved 2026-09-24
- wetten.overheid.nl: BWBR0020368 · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: csv · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: dno application time frame · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: licence application for casps · retrieved 2026-09-24
- EUR-Lex: CELEX 32022R2554 · retrieved 2026-09-24
Applying to DNB, 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.
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