🇦🇹 Austria vs 🇨🇿 Czechia: e-money licensing compared
Decision context and regulator route
Choosing between Austria and Czechia for a e-money licence starts with who you will answer to: Financial Market Authority Austria (Finanzmarktaufsicht, FMA) on one side, Czech National Bank (Česká národní banka, ČNB) on the other, via the E-money institution licence (Konzession) under the E-Geldgesetz 2010 (E-Money Act 2010), Austria's EMD2 transposition; credit institutions licensed under the Banking Act (BWG) may also issue e-money without a separate EMI licence and the Electronic money institution licence under Act No. 370/2017 Coll. on Payment System (transposing EMD2); a separate 'small-scale electronic money issuer' (malý vydavatel elektronických peněz) exemption tier also exists for issuers below the EMD2 activity threshold respectively. The public fields are shown below, with the full dated and sourced comparison included with access.
Austria: verified 2026-09-01 · Czechia: verified 2026-09-01
| Dimension |
🇦🇹 Austria
partly open
Verified 2026-09-01
|
🇨🇿 Czechia
partly open
Verified 2026-09-01
|
|---|---|---|
| Licence type | E-money institution licence (Konzession) under the E-Geldgesetz 2010 (E-Money Act 2010), Austria's EMD2 transposition; credit institutions licensed under the Banking Act (BWG) may also issue e-money without a separate EMI licence | Electronic money institution licence under Act No. 370/2017 Coll. on Payment System (transposing EMD2); a separate 'small-scale electronic money issuer' (malý vydavatel elektronických peněz) exemption tier also exists for issuers below the EMD2 activity threshold |
| Regulator | Financial Market Authority Austria (Finanzmarktaufsicht, FMA) | Czech National Bank (Česká národní banka, ČNB) |
| Capital requirement | Austria capital requirement is included in the £349 pass. | Czechia capital requirement is included in the £349 pass. |
| Timeline to authorisation | Austria timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. | Czechia timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. |
| Local substance | Austria local substance is included in the £349 pass. | Czechia local substance is included in the £349 pass. |
| Application cost | Austria application cost is included in the £349 pass. | Czechia application cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Ongoing cost | Austria ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. | Czechia ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Passporting | Austria passporting is included in the £349 pass. | Czechia passporting is included in the £349 pass. |
| EMIs authorised | Austria emis authorised is included in the £349 pass. | Czechia emis authorised is included in the £349 pass. |
| Key restrictions | Austria key restrictions is included in the £349 pass. | Czechia key restrictions is included in the £349 pass. |
| Safeguarding | Austria safeguarding is included in the £349 pass. | Czechia safeguarding is included in the £349 pass. |
| Recent changes | PSD3 and the PSR merge payment-institution and EMI authorisation into one payment-institution category able to issue e-money. The final compromise texts remain awaiting formal adoption and Official Journal publication as of 1 September 2026, with an indicative European Parliament plenary on 14 December 2026. After entry into force, Member States have 21 months to transpose and apply PSD3, and the PSR generally applies after 21 months. Existing EMIs may continue for 27 months, with an exceptional further three-month extension. | PSD3 and the PSR merge payment-institution and EMI authorisation into one payment-institution category able to issue e-money. The final compromise texts remain awaiting formal adoption and Official Journal publication as of 1 September 2026, with an indicative European Parliament plenary on 14 December 2026. After entry into force, Member States have 21 months to transpose and apply PSD3, and the PSR generally applies after 21 months. Existing EMIs may continue for 27 months, with an exceptional further three-month extension. |
| Difficulty rating | Austria difficulty rating is included in the £349 pass. | Czechia difficulty rating is included in the £349 pass. |
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What changed recently
🇦🇹 Austria (verified 2026-09-01): PSD3 and the PSR merge payment-institution and EMI authorisation into one payment-institution category able to issue e-money. The final compromise texts remain awaiting formal adoption and Official Journal publication as of 1 September 2026, with an indicative European Parliament plenary on 14 December 2026. After entry into force, Member States have 21 months to transpose and apply PSD3, and the PSR generally applies after 21 months. Existing EMIs may continue for 27 months, with an exceptional further three-month extension.
🇨🇿 Czechia (verified 2026-09-01): PSD3 and the PSR merge payment-institution and EMI authorisation into one payment-institution category able to issue e-money. The final compromise texts remain awaiting formal adoption and Official Journal publication as of 1 September 2026, with an indicative European Parliament plenary on 14 December 2026. After entry into force, Member States have 21 months to transpose and apply PSD3, and the PSR generally applies after 21 months. Existing EMIs may continue for 27 months, with an exceptional further three-month extension.
Quick answers
Who regulates e-money licensing in Austria and Czechia?
Austria: Financial Market Authority Austria (Finanzmarktaufsicht, FMA). Czechia: Czech National Bank (Česká národní banka, ČNB).
What licence do you need in Austria compared with Czechia?
In Austria the authorisation route is E-money institution licence (Konzession) under the E-Geldgesetz 2010 (E-Money Act 2010), Austria's EMD2 transposition; credit institutions licensed under the Banking Act (BWG) may also issue e-money without a separate EMI licence; in Czechia it is Electronic money institution licence under Act No. 370/2017 Coll. on Payment System (transposing EMD2); a separate 'small-scale electronic money issuer' (malý vydavatel elektronických peněz) exemption tier also exists for issuers below the EMD2 activity threshold. The comparison table on this page lines the two up dimension by dimension.
Where can I see the full Austria vs Czechia 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 /e-money/compare/austria-vs-czechia.
Informational only, not legal advice. Every open figure carries its own verification date; verify with qualified counsel before acting.