Estrella facilitates acquisitions of Lithuanian EMI licensed companies — Bank of Lithuania authorized electronic money institutions with full EMD2 scope, EU-wide passporting, and access to one of Europe’s most established fintech ecosystems.
A Lithuanian Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license is issued by the Bank of Lithuania under Lithuanian payments and e-money legislation, which implements the EU Electronic Money Directive (EMD2) and the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2).
Lithuanian EMIs may issue electronic money (e-wallets, prepaid cards, digital balances) and provide all eight categories of PSD2 payment services. Lithuanian authorisation provides full EU passporting across all 27 EU member states and the broader EEA.
Lithuania has aggressively positioned itself as Europe’s fintech-first jurisdiction. Vilnius hosts the largest concentration of EMI and PI licensees in continental Europe, with the Bank of Lithuania actively supporting fintech innovation through streamlined licensing, English-language regulatory dialogue, and the LBChain regulatory sandbox programme.
The Bank of Lithuania EMI authorisation process for new applicants typically takes 6–12 months — faster than many other EU jurisdictions, but still material for time-sensitive operators. The process requires comprehensive documentation across business plan, capital and own-funds, governance, IT and operational risk, AML/CFT, safeguarding arrangements, and operational readiness.
Acquiring a Bank of Lithuania authorised EMI provides immediate EU operational capability with full passporting and access to one of Europe’s deepest fintech ecosystems. Lithuania’s fintech-friendly stance — including English-language regulatory environment, simplified licensing processes, and proactive Bank of Lithuania support — makes it particularly attractive for international fintech operators.
Pre-licensed Lithuanian EMIs typically come with established Bank of Lithuania relationships, accepted compliance frameworks, and Baltic or pan-European banking arrangements that benefit from Lithuania’s well-developed fintech banking infrastructure.
Lithuanian EMIs are regulated under the Law on Electronic Money and Electronic Money Institutions and Lithuanian payment services legislation, supervised by the Bank of Lithuania. The framework implements EU EMD2 and PSD2 along with related EBA technical standards.
Key obligations include initial capital of €350,000 (with ongoing own-funds based on outstanding e-money issuance and payment volumes), client fund safeguarding via segregated accounts at qualifying credit institutions, comprehensive AML/CFT compliance under Lithuanian AML legislation implementing EU AML directives, customer due diligence including PEP screening and enhanced measures for high-risk relationships, ongoing transaction monitoring and suspicious activity reporting, regular regulatory reporting to the Bank of Lithuania, governance arrangements meeting Bank of Lithuania expectations including qualified senior management subject to fit-and-proper assessment, and operational and security risk management aligned with EBA technical standards on PSD2 strong customer authentication.
The Bank of Lithuania conducts ongoing supervision through reporting reviews and on-site inspections. Lithuanian EMIs benefit from clear regulatory guidance documents and an active fintech support programme.
Estrella maintains relationships with Bank of Lithuania authorised EMIs across operational maturity levels. Available opportunities include established EMIs with active customer books and proven banking relationships, mid-stage EMIs with strong infrastructure suitable for scaling, and clean EMIs with full authorisation suitable for new branding.
Each acquisition is subject to comprehensive due diligence: Bank of Lithuania authorisation status and any historical supervisory matters, capital and own-funds compliance, safeguarding arrangements and reconciliation history, AML/CFT framework, banking and payment scheme relationships, and corporate, tax, and financial history. Bank of Lithuania qualifying-shareholder approval is required for ownership changes — Estrella manages this with Lithuanian regulatory counsel.
For current availability and pricing, please contact our acquisitions team.
Lithuanian EMI acquisitions typically take 4–6 months. The corporate transfer can complete in weeks, but Bank of Lithuania qualifying-shareholder approval is required — typically 60–90 days from a complete notification.
Yes, fully. Bank of Lithuania authorisation provides full EU passporting rights enabling the entity to serve customers across all 27 EU member states and the EEA.
Lithuania has positioned itself as continental Europe’s leading fintech jurisdiction. The Bank of Lithuania offers English-language regulatory dialogue, simplified licensing processes, an active sandbox programme (LBChain), and pragmatic supervision. Vilnius hosts the largest concentration of EMI and PI licensees in continental Europe.
Lithuanian EMIs operate within EU EMD2 and PSD2 frameworks like all EU EMIs. The Lithuanian fintech ecosystem includes significant crypto licensing (VASP, transitioning to CASP under MiCA), and Lithuanian EMIs are often well-positioned to provide payment services to crypto businesses.
Lithuanian EMIs command a premium reflecting the country’s fintech credibility and active ecosystem. Pricing varies based on operational history, capital position, banking relationships, and any active customer book. Established EMIs with active customer books command significant premiums.
Contact Estrella to explore available Bank of Lithuania authorised EMIs. Our team coordinates with Lithuanian regulatory counsel for the full acquisition process.
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