~5%
Effective tax rate
Available in qualifying shareholder-refund structures when profits are distributed.
MiCA · Malta · CASP Licensing
CASP licence in Malta:
CASP licence in Malta:
a market that knows
crypto in practice
A CASP licence in Malta is not reserved for multi-billion institutions with armies of compliance officers. For a growth-stage firm, it is a workable route into MiCA.
In short
How do you get a MiCA licence in Malta, and what does the MFSA charge?
A CASP licence in Malta is the MiCA authorisation granted by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) to a Maltese private limited company with a genuine local presence: an office, local staff and an MLRO. Own funds follow the class: €50,000 for advice, order flow and transfers, €125,000 for exchange and custody, €150,000 for a trading platform. The MFSA application fee is €10,000, €20,000 or €25,000 for Class 1, 2 or 3, and the annual supervisory fee starts at €10,000. The statutory clock is 25 working days for completeness and 40 for assessment, with one suspension of up to 20; in practice the project takes 12–14 months, 6 at the very fastest. The licence passports across the 27 EU member states. The ESMA interim register of 30 September 2026 lists 23 Maltese entries in force, one of them an Article 60(4) notification; see the register in numbers. Protegra takes you through Maltese CASP authorisation and into live, supervised operations as one engagement, in English, from €45,000.
| Item | Figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator | Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) | Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 |
| Own funds by class | €50,000 / €125,000 / €150,000 | Annex IV of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 |
| MFSA application fee | €10,000 / €20,000 / €25,000 for Class 1 / 2 / 3 | One fee, at the highest class applied for |
| MFSA annual supervisory fee | €10,000 / €25,000 / €50,000 by class, plus €2,000 per service and 0.05% of transaction volume (up to €250,000) | MFSA |
| Statutory clock | 25 + 40 working days | Article 63 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114; one suspension of up to 20 working days |
| Realistic timeline | 12–14 months; 6 at the very fastest | Practice, from the start of preparation to authorisation |
| ESMA register | 23 Maltese entries in force, one an Art. 60(4) notification | ESMA interim register, release 30 Sep 2026 |
Sources: Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA); ESMA interim register, release 30 Sep 2026; Annex IV and Article 63 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114.
Why teams choose Protegra
Built for crypto — not adapted to it
A Malta CASP application is not won by producing more documents. It is won by making the business model, governance, substance, technology, and operating reality work together before the MFSA has to ask where the gaps are.
8 Years
of Malta crypto-regulatory experience.
Malta’s VFA framework has given the market practical experience with regulated crypto businesses since 2018 — before MiCA became the European standard.
Start your application ⟶We only do this
Our team works across Malta, the Netherlands, Latvia, Poland, and the Czech Republic exclusively on crypto and fintech regulation — MiCA, AML, DORA, and CASP licensing. A CASP file needs people who have already dealt with exchange, custody, AML, governance, substance, banking, and post-licence supervision for crypto businesses.
We build the difficult part first
Before the formal application, we align the business model, Maltese entity, key roles, governance, financial plan, AML framework, and ICT controls. The application becomes evidence of a functioning operating design — not a collection of policies assembled at the end.
We stay after the licence is issued
Most advisors consider the engagement complete at authorisation. We stay on when the operating obligations begin: AML monitoring, periodic review, regulatory reporting, disclosure controls, DAC8 readiness, and supervisory communication.
Crypto since 2018.
Not since MiCA.
Regulatory facts
Malta at a glance: what are the numbers?
12–14
Months · typical timeframe
Indicative timeframe for preparation and MFSA authorisation, depending on the model, readiness, and regulatory process; 6 months is the very fastest. The statutory clock (25 + 40 working days, with one suspension of up to 20) covers only the MFSA assessment.
27
EU markets · passporting
A Malta-authorised CASP may provide permitted services across the EU following MiCA passporting and the applicable notifications.
- Licensing authority
- Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA).
- Company vehicle
- Maltese private limited company (Ltd) incorporated and maintained in Malta.
- Key roles
- A governance and control structure proportionate to the business model, typically including directors, a Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO), compliance responsibility, risk responsibility, and other key function holders where required.
- Local substance
- A genuine Malta-based operating presence, including a physical office, appropriate local personnel, clear local decision-making, and governance arrangements that demonstrate the company is managed and controlled in Malta.
Why Malta
Why choose Malta for a MiCA licence?
The licence gives you regulatory permission. Malta’s practical value is the ability to turn that permission into a credible European operating base. For a growth-stage firm, the real challenge is not simply filing an application — it is building a structure that the regulator can approve, banks can onboard, and investors can understand. Malta gives you a more workable route: a MiCA licence, a credible local operating structure, and a base from which to serve Europe — without locking up capital or assembling a full institutional operation before the business is ready to launch.
Market
- An English-speaking business environment for international founders, teams, counterparties, and investors.
- A concentrated professional-services market that makes corporate, legal, tax, accounting, compliance, and administration easier to coordinate.
- A European base that supports commercial credibility with investors, partners, and financial institutions.
Access
- Build a company around real operational responsibility, with local decision-making that supports a credible supervisory and commercial narrative.
- Coordinate incorporation, governance, key personnel, vendor selection, and business preparation as one launch plan.
- Start developing relationships with banks, payment providers, and service partners before authorisation is issued — not after.
Clarity
- Build AML, ICT governance, outsourcing, disclosures, and reporting into the operating model before launch.
- Give founders and investors a clearer picture of the costs, control framework, and decision-making structure behind the licence.
- Expand through a defined operating plan rather than treating each new market as an entirely separate regulatory project.
