Licensing

Obtaining the right regulatory licence or registration is one of the most consequential milestones in the life of a financial services business. The application process is rarely straightforward - regulators expect a thorough understanding of the applicable framework, a credible business model, robust internal governance, and detailed compliance infrastructure before they grant approval. An inadequately prepared application does not merely delay a licence; it can prejudice the regulator's assessment of the business entirely. We assist businesses in preparing and submitting licence applications and regulatory registrations across key jurisdictions, advising on eligibility, application strategy, documentation requirements, and regulator engagement throughout the process.

We assist businesses in obtaining the full range of payment and financial services licences in India and UAE, including payment aggregator authorisations, prepaid payment instrument licences, NBFC registrations, and account aggregator licences in India; payment service provider and stored value facility licences under the CBUAE in the UAE. We manage the process end to end, from pre-application structuring and eligibility assessment through to regulator engagement and authorisation.

On the virtual asset side, we advise on the full suite of VARA licences in Dubai covering exchange, broker-dealer, custody, lending, and transfer and settlement services; CBUAE's Payment Token Service Regulations governing dirham-backed and foreign-referenced payment token issuance and custody; FIU-IND registration under PMLA for VDA businesses in India; MiCA authorisation for crypto-asset service providers and token issuers in the EU; digital payment token licensing under MAS in Singapore; and CIMA, Gibraltar FSC, and Mauritius FSC licensing for businesses requiring offshore regulatory footing.