LicenceMap The licensing intelligence desk
Informational only — not legal advice. Verify with qualified counsel before acting. Full disclaimer

🇨🇾 Cyprus

Established CIF/investment-services jurisdiction now converting its large national VASP base into MiCA CASP authorisations under a hard Feb 2026 deadline.

Crypto (CASP / VASP) E-money (EMI)
Last verified 2026-08-15 Next review 2026-08-29

Data verified: oldest cell 46 days ago (verified 2026-07-02). Individual cells show their own verification date below.

Capital requirement Capital requirement is included with access. Included with access Timeline to authorisation Timeline to authorisation is included with access. Included with access Application cost Application cost is included with access. Included with access Passporting Passporting is included with access. Included with access

Licence type

Electronic Money Institution (EMI) authorisation under The Electronic Money Laws of 2012-2018 and The Provision and Use of Payment Services and Access to Payment Systems Laws of 2018 to 2025 (transposing EMD2/PSD2); a Small EMI / exempt tier also exists under the same framework for issuers below EMD2 thresholds

Verified 2 days agoSource: Current national regulator authorisation material: https://www.centralbank.cy/en/licensing-supervision/electronic-money-institutions/licensing-and-supervision-of-electronic-money-institutions

Regulator

Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) - Licensing Section

Verified 2 days agoSource: Current national regulator authorisation material: https://www.centralbank.cy/en/licensing-supervision/electronic-money-institutions/licensing-and-supervision-of-electronic-money-institutions

Recent changes

The Central Bank of Cyprus issued new 2025 EMI authorisation, governance and suitability directives. 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 15 August 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.

Verified 2 days agoSource: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8222-2026-INIT/en/pdf ; https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8221-2026-INIT/en/pdf ; https://oeil.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/en/procedure-file?reference=2023%2F0209%28COD%29

You have seen the shape. The numbers are one pass away.

Capital, timeline, costs, substance, passporting, restrictions and difficulty for Cyprus, each with its source and verification date, unlock with the one-off Founder Pass: £349, 30 days, everything included. Need it board-ready without doing the work? A bespoke report answers your exact question for £950.

Unlock Cyprus Read the free jurisdiction first

Check the work first: methodology, sources, and every figure we currently dispute.

Head-to-head

How Cyprus stacks up against the jurisdictions applicants weigh it against.

Know when Cyprus moves

One email when a figure changes here. No digest padding.

No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Not legal advice. Entries marked placeholder or awaiting verification shouldn't be relied on. Verify with Cyprus's regulator and qualified local counsel before acting.