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
|
🇪🇸 Spain
partly open
Verified 2026-07-03
|
|---|---|---|
| Licence type | E-Money Institution or Small E-Money Institution under the European Communities (Electronic Money) Regulations 2011. | Entidad de Dinero Electronico (EDE), authorised under Ley 21/2011, de 26 de julio, de dinero electronico, and Real Decreto 778/2012 (as amended by Real Decreto 736/2019). Spain recognises 'entidades de dinero electronico hibridas' (hybrid EMIs) and an exemption/light regime under art. 14 of Real Decreto-ley 19/2018 for small-scale e-money issuers below activity thresholds, analogous to a 'small EMI' tier. |
| Regulator | Central Bank of Ireland (CBI). | Banco de Espana (Bank of Spain) |
| Capital requirement | Ireland capital requirement is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Spain capital requirement is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Timeline to authorisation | Ireland timeline to authorisation is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Spain timeline to authorisation is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Local substance | Ireland local substance is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Spain local substance is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Application cost | Ireland application cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Spain application cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Ongoing cost | Ireland ongoing cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Spain ongoing cost is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Passporting | Ireland passporting is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Spain passporting is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| EMIs authorised | Ireland emis authorised is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Spain emis authorised is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Key restrictions | Ireland key restrictions is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Spain key restrictions is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. |
| Safeguarding | Ireland safeguarding is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Spain 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/PSR final texts published 23 April 2026, undergoing legal-linguistic review, OJ publication expected June/July 2026 (risk of slipping to September). Analysis flags that Spain's separate payment-institution and e-money statutes (despite an integrated supervisor) will likely require a more structural legislative overhaul than in peer states to merge into PSD3/PSR's single rulebook. |
| Difficulty rating | Ireland difficulty rating is locked. Unlock with the £349 pass. | Spain 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.