How long does it take to obtain a payment licence in the European Union? If you ask a regulator, the honest answer is “it depends”. If you ask someone who has been through it, the answer is “longer than you think, and more expensive than you budgeted”. You will need a business plan the regulator believes, capital, governance, compliance staff, an AML framework and, above all, patience. Many projects die in the queue.
There is another route: buy a company that already has the licence. FintechLex is currently presenting one.
What is on the table
A licensed payment service provider based in Southern Europe, with an acquiring licence. In plain words, the company enables merchants to accept card payments:
- Physical POS terminals for in-store payments
- Virtual POS for online and remote card payments
- Card acceptance services for businesses and merchants
The company is not a shell. It operates under its own brand, with an existing offer to merchants and a presence on the card payments market.
What it is not
I prefer to say it now rather than in the data room. This licence covers acquiring only. No standalone money remittance or transfer services, no e-money issuance and no crypto services. If your business plan needs those, this company is not the right vehicle on its own, and I can tell you which licence you need instead.
If your business is card acceptance, on the other hand, this is exactly the licence you want, and you do not have to start a licence application from scratch.
Who should look at it
- Payment groups that want to add or expand merchant acquiring
- POS and terminal providers that want their own regulated structure instead of renting someone else’s
- E-commerce and fintech platforms that want to own their payment infrastructure
- Investors looking for exposure to card acceptance in Southern Europe
The trap nobody mentions
Buying a regulated company is not like buying a bakery. You do not simply sign and pay. The regulator must approve the change of control, and it will look at you very closely: your shareholders, the source of your funds, your management and your plans for the company. Buyers who treat this as a formality lose months, and sometimes the deal.
In due diligence, you also need to check what really comes with the company: its arrangements with card schemes and partner banks, its merchant contracts and its compliance history. A licence is only worth what sits behind it.
This is where we come in. FintechLex handles regulated-entity acquisitions from the first review through the change-of-control file and closing.
How to go further
Company identity, jurisdiction, figures and terms are released after signature of a non-disclosure agreement. Prices are on request.
Email: insight@fintechlex.com
WhatsApp: +41 787 983 770
