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| Dimension |
Pinned 🇳🇱 Netherlands partly open Verified 2026-08-15
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🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Free in full
Verified 2026-10-01
|
|---|---|---|
| Licence type | MiCA CASP Authorisation (Crypto-Asset Service Provider), granted by AFM; DNB co-assesses fitness/propriety and AML for licence holders | Today, FCA registration under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 remains the AML and counter-terrorist financing route. Applications for full FSMA authorisation under SI 2026/102 opened on 30 September 2026 and close on 28 February 2027. The mandatory regime commences on 25 October 2027, and existing registrations and permissions do not convert automatically. |
| Regulator | Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM) - lead conduct regulator and licensing authority; De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) supports with prudential/AML input | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA); HM Treasury sets the legislative perimeter; Bank of England for systemic stablecoin issuers. |
| Capital requirement | Netherlands capital requirement is included in the £349 pass. | No minimum initial capital under the current MLR registration. The incoming FSMA regime's final prudential rules (PS26/12, 30 Jun 2026) set Permanent Minimum Requirements by activity: GBP 75,000 (arranging/dealing as agent), 150,000 (custody, trading platform, staking), 350,000 (stablecoin issuance), 750,000 (dealing as principal). |
| Timeline to authorisation | Netherlands timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. | MLR registration: 3-month statutory clock from a COMPLETE application, but realistically ~9-12 months including pre-application; historically low approval rate. |
| Local substance | Netherlands local substance is included in the £349 pass. | Business must be carried on in the UK (UK entity in practice); an MLRO / nominated officer (Reg 21(3)) who is UK-based, genuinely competent, independent and closely involved. |
| Application cost | Netherlands application cost is included in the £349 pass. | FCA application fee GBP 11,260 (Category 6, fee-block G23, non-refundable) plus typically GBP 50k-150k in professional fees; ~GBP 90k all-in representative (~EUR 105k at 1.16). |
| Ongoing cost | Netherlands ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. | Annual FCA periodic fee under fee-block G.30 for 2026/27: minimum GBP 2,251 plus GBP 6.01 per GBP 1,000 of cryptoasset income above GBP 100,000. Plus AML operations, annual audit and compliance headcount; costs rise materially under the incoming FSMA regime. |
| Passporting | Netherlands passporting is included in the £349 pass. | No - post-Brexit the UK regime is standalone; no EU/EEA passport and no MiCA equivalence in either direction. |
| MiCA CASPs approved | Netherlands mica casps approved is included in the £349 pass. | Not applicable: non-MiCA jurisdiction, no CASP regime. See this jurisdiction's own licence route. |
| Key restrictions | Netherlands key restrictions is included in the £349 pass. | Cryptoasset financial promotions regime (since 8 Oct 2023): mandatory risk warnings, 24-hour cooling-off for first-timers, ban on incentives; plus significant bank de-risking / de-banking of crypto firms. |
| Recent changes | 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 | The FCA authorisation gateway opened on 30 September 2026. Firms can now apply for authorisation or vary existing permissions through Connect, and firms seeking the transitional arrangements must apply by 28 February 2027. The mandatory FSMA regime begins on 25 October 2027. The FCA also published final cryptoasset perimeter guidance, PS26/18, on 16 September 2026. |
| Difficulty rating | Netherlands difficulty rating is included in the £349 pass. | 4 - rigorous AML bar, historically low approval rate and severe bank-access friction; the incoming FSMA prudential/conduct regime raises the bar further. |
Informational only, not legal advice. A delta compares the sortable figure only (capital, timeline, cost, difficulty, passporting, approvals); it is not a judgement on overall suitability. Verify with qualified counsel before acting.
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