Pin and benchmark
Pin the jurisdiction you are leaning towards, then line up to 5 rivals against it. Every unlocked figure shows where a peer beats it or loses to it on capital, timeline, cost and difficulty, so one screen tells you whether your first choice actually holds up.
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| Dimension |
Pinned 🇮🇪 Ireland partly open Verified 2026-07-03
|
🇲🇹 Malta
partly open
Verified 2026-07-03
|
|---|---|---|
| Licence type | E-Money Institution or Small E-Money Institution under the European Communities (Electronic Money) Regulations 2011. | Electronic Money Institution under the Financial Institutions Act (Cap. 376). |
| Regulator | Central Bank of Ireland (CBI). | Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). |
| Capital requirement | Ireland capital requirement is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta capital requirement is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Timeline to authorisation | Ireland timeline to authorisation is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta timeline to authorisation is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Local substance | Ireland local substance is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta local substance is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Application cost | Ireland application cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta application cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Ongoing cost | Ireland ongoing cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta ongoing cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Passporting | Ireland passporting is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta passporting is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| EMIs authorised | Ireland emis authorised is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta emis authorised is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Key restrictions | Ireland key restrictions is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta key restrictions is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Safeguarding | Ireland safeguarding is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta safeguarding is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Recent changes | PSD3 and PSR merge the payment institution and EMI regimes into one payment institution licence that can issue e-money. Final texts published 23 Apr 2026, OJ expected mid to late 2026, PSR applies about 20 days after publication, PSD3 transposition within 18 months (applicability ~Q2/Q3 2028). Existing EMIs are grandfathered but must update their file. | PSD3 and PSR merge the payment institution and EMI regimes into one payment institution licence that can issue e-money. Final texts published 23 Apr 2026, OJ expected mid to late 2026, PSR applies about 20 days after publication, PSD3 transposition within 18 months (applicability ~Q2/Q3 2028). Existing EMIs are grandfathered but must update their file. Ongoing reputational rebuild after FATF grey-listing (delisted 2022). |
| Difficulty rating | Ireland difficulty rating is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Malta difficulty rating is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
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.