A Dutch entity for payments: one licence, thirty countries

A payment services licence granted in one EU country travels across the whole European Economic Area — the passport. The Netherlands, home to Europe's leading payments companies and their supervisory infrastructure, grants that licence through De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) for payment institutions and electronic money institutions, and through the Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) for crypto-asset services under MiCA.

The vehicle underneath every application is the same: a Dutch BV with the right ownership chain, governance and substance. That entity comes first, and how well it is built shapes everything the supervisor reads afterwards.

The three licence routes

A payment institution under PSD2 covers acquiring, money remittance, payment initiation and account information services, with initial capital between €20,000 and €125,000 depending on the services. An electronic money institution issues e-money and wallets, with initial capital of €350,000. Both are licensed and supervised by DNB, and both passport across the EEA on notification. For crypto-asset services, the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) applies across the EU, with the AFM as the Dutch licensing authority — and a MiCA authorisation passports the same way. In Brussels, PSD3 and the Payment Services Regulation are moving through the legislative machine; firms licensing now build the compliance base those texts will refine.

Why the Netherlands for a payments licence

The Dutch payments ecosystem is the deepest in continental Europe: the supervisor speaks fluent fintech, the talent pool is built by the companies that lead the sector, and the infrastructure — banking partners, auditors, compliance specialists — is a working market rather than a promise. English is the working language throughout, and the BV structure carries governance requirements naturally: a board that passes fit-and-proper testing, safeguarding of client funds, and audited annual accounts.

The entity comes first

Every application file opens with the same chapter: who owns this company, who runs it, and where does it genuinely operate. A well-built BV answers those questions before they are asked — a clean shareholding chain (holding structures and qualifying-holding declarations for owners above 10%), directors prepared for fit-and-proper assessment, a registered Dutch establishment with real substance, and Wwft anti-money-laundering arrangements designed in from the start. Country routes: from the UK and from the US; the crypto route: MiCA authorisation in the Netherlands.

Setting up in the Netherlands

A Dutch BV is incorporated by notarial deed and registered with the Chamber of Commerce (KvK); incorporation runs remotely by power of attorney. Holdwise builds the entity and the group structure — ownership chain, substance, governance documentation — and the licence application itself runs with specialised regulatory counsel, coordinated in writing. The wider route: EU market entry.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Dutch payments licence work across the EU?

Yes. A PSD2 payment institution or e-money institution licence granted by DNB passports across the European Economic Area — 30 countries — on notification, and a MiCA crypto authorisation passports the same way.

What initial capital do the licences require?

A payment institution requires between €20,000 and €125,000 depending on the services provided; an electronic money institution requires €350,000. Own-funds requirements then scale with activity.

Who supervises what in the Netherlands?

De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) licenses and supervises payment institutions and e-money institutions; the Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) is the licensing authority for crypto-asset service providers under MiCA.

What does Holdwise do, and what runs with regulatory counsel?

Holdwise builds the entity and the structure: the BV, the ownership chain, governance documentation and substance. The licence application itself runs with specialised regulatory counsel — coordinated with us, entirely in writing.