Licensing — MSB / VASP / EMI

An MSB (Canada) is a FINTRAC registration for fiat money services; Quebec adds a provincial licence from Revenu Québec. A VASP is the regime for virtual-asset activity (the EU and a number of jurisdictions). An EMI (EU/UK) is an electronic money institution — a broader, quasi-banking status with capital requirements. The choice turns on your activity, your target markets and the capital available.

It depends on the licence type and jurisdiction — about three months for an MSB registration (FINTRAC's own figure for most complete applications) up to several months for an EMI or a VASP. A licence cannot be expedited administratively, but we prepare the corporate structure, the AML program and the banking pack in parallel so no time is lost waiting.

It depends on the licence: an MSB has no formal capital threshold, an EU EMI requires a minimum of EUR 350,000 in own funds, and VASP-regime requirements vary. We confirm the exact thresholds and proof of capital when selecting the licensing route.

Licensing and banking are two separate tasks, and the second is where most providers break down. We run them as a single project: the licensed entity, the AML program and the bank onboarding are coordinated within one team, with no hand-offs between providers.

MSB, VASP and EMI, as well as gaming and brokerage licences — fitted to the specific business model. During the jurisdiction-mapping stage we determine exactly which regime you need, so you neither obtain an unnecessary licence nor fall short of the right one.