🇱🇹 Lithuania vs 🇳🇱 Netherlands: crypto licensing compared
Decision context and regulator route
Choosing between Lithuania and Netherlands for a crypto licence starts with who you will answer to: Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas) - single competent authority. Publicly selective stance: wants few, solid firms rather than the ~370-strong legacy VASP pool. on one side, Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM) - lead conduct regulator and licensing authority; De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) supports with prudential/AML input on the other, via the MiCA Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorisation under Title V of Reg (EU) 2023/1114; replaced the national VASP registration. Single passportable licence covering the services applied for. and the MiCA CASP Authorisation (Crypto-Asset Service Provider), granted by AFM; DNB co-assesses fitness/propriety and AML for licence holders respectively. The public fields are shown below, with the full dated and sourced comparison included with access.
Lithuania: verified 2026-08-15 · Netherlands: verified 2026-08-15
| Dimension |
🇱🇹 Lithuania
partly open
Verified 2026-08-15
|
🇳🇱 Netherlands
partly open
Verified 2026-08-15
|
|---|---|---|
| Licence type | MiCA Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorisation under Title V of Reg (EU) 2023/1114; replaced the national VASP registration. Single passportable licence covering the services applied for. | MiCA CASP Authorisation (Crypto-Asset Service Provider), granted by AFM; DNB co-assesses fitness/propriety and AML for licence holders |
| Regulator | Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas) - single competent authority. Publicly selective stance: wants few, solid firms rather than the ~370-strong legacy VASP pool. | Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM) - lead conduct regulator and licensing authority; De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) supports with prudential/AML input |
| Capital requirement | Lithuania capital requirement is included in the £349 pass. | Netherlands capital requirement is included in the £349 pass. |
| Timeline to authorisation | Lithuania timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. | Netherlands timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. |
| Local substance | Lithuania local substance is included in the £349 pass. | Netherlands local substance is included in the £349 pass. |
| Application cost | Lithuania application cost is included in the £349 pass. | Netherlands application cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Ongoing cost | Lithuania ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. | Netherlands ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Passporting | Lithuania passporting is included in the £349 pass. | Netherlands passporting is included in the £349 pass. |
| MiCA CASPs approved | Lithuania mica casps approved is included in the £349 pass. | Netherlands mica casps approved is included in the £349 pass. |
| Key restrictions | Lithuania key restrictions is included in the £349 pass. | Netherlands key restrictions is included in the £349 pass. |
| Recent changes | Lithuania used a shortened 12-month grandfathering - legacy VASP cover ended 1 Jan 2026 (vs the EU 1 Jul 2026 backstop). First CASP: Robinhood Europe (29 May 2025); only ~4 CASPs authorised by Mar 2026. | Netherlands became one of the highest-volume MiCA jurisdictions through H1 2026 as the 1 July 2026 EU-wide transitional deadline approached; notable authorisations include Bitvavo, Amdax, MoonPay, Finst, Fiat Republic, and Banxa (Oct 2025); dedicated 'ARI10' authorisation added Feb 2026 per one tracker |
| Difficulty rating | Lithuania difficulty rating is included in the £349 pass. | Netherlands difficulty rating is included in the £349 pass. |
Unlock the pass to see each gated figure with its source and verification date.
What changed recently
🇱🇹 Lithuania (verified 2026-08-15): Lithuania used a shortened 12-month grandfathering - legacy VASP cover ended 1 Jan 2026 (vs the EU 1 Jul 2026 backstop). First CASP: Robinhood Europe (29 May 2025); only ~4 CASPs authorised by Mar 2026.
🇳🇱 Netherlands (verified 2026-07-02): Netherlands became one of the highest-volume MiCA jurisdictions through H1 2026 as the 1 July 2026 EU-wide transitional deadline approached; notable authorisations include Bitvavo, Amdax, MoonPay, Finst, Fiat Republic, and Banxa (Oct 2025); dedicated 'ARI10' authorisation added Feb 2026 per one tracker
Quick answers
Who regulates crypto licensing in Lithuania and Netherlands?
Lithuania: Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas) - single competent authority. Publicly selective stance: wants few, solid firms rather than the ~370-strong legacy VASP pool.. Netherlands: Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM) - lead conduct regulator and licensing authority; De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) supports with prudential/AML input.
What licence do you need in Lithuania compared with Netherlands?
In Lithuania the authorisation route is MiCA Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorisation under Title V of Reg (EU) 2023/1114; replaced the national VASP registration. Single passportable licence covering the services applied for.; in Netherlands it is MiCA CASP Authorisation (Crypto-Asset Service Provider), granted by AFM; DNB co-assesses fitness/propriety and AML for licence holders. The comparison table on this page lines the two up dimension by dimension.
Where can I see the full Lithuania vs Netherlands comparison?
The interactive benchmark lets you pin either jurisdiction and add up to five peers; a Founder Pass or Pro subscription unlocks every gated figure with its source and verification date. This page stays free at /crypto/compare/lithuania-vs-netherlands.
Informational only, not legal advice. Every open figure carries its own verification date; verify with qualified counsel before acting.