Cryptocurrency Licence in Lithuania

Yes. Lithuania grants Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorisations under Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA) and the Lithuanian Law on Crypto-Asset Markets. CASP authorisations are issued by the Bank of Lithuania. The former national regime for virtual currency exchange operators and custodial wallet providers ceased to be sufficient for providing regulated crypto-asset services on 1 January 2026. Applicants must satisfy the applicable prudential, governance, AML/CFT, safeguarding, operational resilience and organisational requirements.

To obtain CASP authorisation in Lithuania, an applicant must establish or acquire an eligible legal entity and submit an authorisation application to the Bank of Lithuania. The application must comply with Articles 62 and 63 of MiCA and the applicable implementing requirements. Notifying the Financial Crime Investigation Service or registering cryptocurrency-related activities with the Centre of Registers does not constitute CASP authorisation. The applicant must demonstrate adequate financial resources, suitable management, robust internal controls, appropriate operational infrastructure and compliance with all relevant regulatory obligations.

Yes. The Bank of Lithuania is the competent national authority responsible for CASP authorisation and prudential and conduct supervision under MiCA. The Financial Crime Investigation Service also performs AML/CFT supervisory functions within its statutory competence. Companies seeking to provide regulated crypto-asset services must engage with the Bank of Lithuania through the applicable authorisation procedure.

A CASP licence lists the crypto-asset services the company may provide: custody and administration of crypto-assets, operation of a trading platform, exchange of crypto-assets for funds or for other crypto-assets, execution of orders, placing of crypto-assets, reception and transmission of orders, advice, portfolio management and transfer services. The required minimum capital depends on the services chosen.

The first stage of obtaining CASP authorisation is to determine the proposed crypto-asset services and assess the applicable regulatory requirements. A Lithuanian UAB may be established with minimum authorised share capital of EUR 1,000, but the company must additionally satisfy the significantly higher MiCA prudential safeguards applicable to its activities. The CASP application must be submitted to the Bank of Lithuania. A notification to the Centre of Registers does not authorise regulated crypto-asset services.

Yes, non-residents of Lithuania may own a Lithuanian crypto company. Shareholders with qualifying holdings (10% or more) are assessed by the Bank of Lithuania, and non-residents provide an extended package of documents, including a certificate of no criminal record from the country of residence.

Yes, the management body may include non-residents of Lithuania, but at least one director must be resident in the EU. All members of the management body must be of sufficiently good repute and have appropriate knowledge, skills and experience.

Yes, an account with a financial institution registered in Lithuania (one of the Lithuanian banks or the Electronic Money Institution registered in Lithuania) must be opened with a company applying for a crypto license. The company’s authorized capital must be deposited into this account.

The minimum statutory share capital of a Lithuanian UAB is EUR 1,000. However, the prudential safeguards required for CASP authorisation under MiCA are substantially higher and depend on the services provided. The relevant permanent minimum capital requirement is EUR 50,000, EUR 125,000 or EUR 150,000. Applicants must demonstrate compliance with the applicable prudential requirements before authorisation is granted and maintain the required safeguards on an ongoing basis.

A CASP licence in Lithuania is issued for an indefinite period. It may be withdrawn if the company does not use it within 12 months, stops providing crypto-asset services for more than nine consecutive months or no longer meets the licensing conditions.

No, it is only possible to deposit the charter capital for a cryptocurrency company by a money deposit from the owner/owners’ personal account into the account of the company in one of the banks of Lithuania or the Electronic Money Institution registered in Lithuania.

The authorized capital is paid by means of a monetary contribution (bank transfer). The owners of the company contribute capital at the nominal value of their share (i.e. corresponding to their share in the authorized capital). Payment is made from the bank account of the member of the board to the bank account of the company in one of the banks of Lithuania or Electronic Money Institution registered in Lithuania.

The amount contributed can be used for the commercial activity of your company crypto after the Registrų centras of Lithuania confirms the deposit of the charter capital of the company.

The initial capital required for the planned crypto-asset services (EUR 50,000, 125,000 or 150,000) must be paid in before the licence application is submitted, as the Bank of Lithuania checks the company’s own funds. The paid capital can later be used to finance the company’s activities, provided that own funds do not fall below the required level.

The conditions for applying for a CASP licence are:

• Business plan and description of the crypto-asset services
• Governance, internal control, risk management and AML/CTF policies and procedures
• Initial capital of EUR 50,000, 125,000 or 150,000
• Management body of good repute, with at least one director resident in the EU
• Certificates of no criminal record of the directors and qualifying shareholders
• CVs of all key persons of the project

Lithuania provides a regulated framework for crypto-asset businesses under MiCA, offering eligible authorised providers access to the European Union market through the applicable cross-border notification procedures. CASP authorisation involves a comprehensive assessment of the applicant’s management, ownership, financial resources, operational arrangements, ICT security, AML/CFT controls and client protection procedures. Applicants should plan for a substantial preparation and regulatory review period rather than expecting authorisation within one month. Licensing outcomes depend on the Bank of Lithuania’s independent assessment and cannot be guaranteed.

Yes. The Bank of Lithuania supervises licensed crypto-asset service providers: it can carry out inspections, request information and documents and apply sanctions. Client and transaction data must be kept for the period required by law and provided to the supervisory authorities on request.

Yes, a director may be a non-resident of Lithuania, provided that at least one member of the management body is resident in the EU and all directors have the required knowledge, experience and good repute.

Crypto-asset service providers should take the following measures to prevent money laundering and / or the financing of terrorism: Identification of client/recipient of funds:

• Determination of whether the client acts on his or her behalf or through a representative
• If the client acts through a representative, identifying the client’s representative
• Identification of the recipient – natural person
• Identification of the client – legal person
• Identification of the client, beneficiary of the legal entity
• Collection of information about the client, member of the legal entity
• Collection of information on the structure of the legal person and the nature of the activity; Collection of information on the purpose and intended nature of the client’s business relationship with the recipient of the funds, whether a natural or a legal person
• Verification of the identity of the client and the recipient on the basis of documents, data or information obtained from a reliable and independent source
• Continuous monitoring of the customer’s business relations
• Regular review and updating of documents, data or information provided in the identification of the client and the recipient of funds
• If it is impossible to fulfil the requirements for identification of the client and the recipient of funds – suspension of the transaction, and if it is impossible to establish a business relationship, termination of the cooperation
• Application of customer and recipient identification measures not only to new but also to existing clients of the company (clients who became clients of the company before the new requirements)
• Suspending suspicious transactions and reporting them to the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FCIS)
• Notice of crypto-asset exchange transactions or transactions in crypto-assets, if the amount of such monetary transaction or transaction is equal to or greater than EUR 15,000 or its equivalent in foreign or virtual currency, regardless of whether the transaction is in one or more related money transfers
• A detailed examination of complex or unusually large transactions
• Storage of information for a certain period of time
• Appointing officials responsible for implementing measures to prevent money-laundering and / or the financing of terrorism
• Training of staff
• Introduction of internal systems to respond promptly to requests from the Financial Crimes Investigation Service through secure channels and to ensure full confidentiality of requests
• Establish internal internal control policies and procedures

Crypto-asset service providers identify and verify the client before establishing a business relationship, when carrying out occasional transactions, whenever there are doubts about previously obtained identification data and whenever money laundering or terrorist financing is suspected. Under Regulation (EU) 2023/1113 (the travel rule), information on the originator and the beneficiary must accompany every transfer of crypto-assets, regardless of the amount. Measures are applied on a risk-based approach (standard, enhanced or simplified due diligence); if the client cannot be identified, the provider refuses the transaction or the business relationship, and suspicious transactions are reported to the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FCIS).

Our company has extensive experience in crypto licensing in Lithuania and is ready to accompany you throughout the CASP licensing process under MiCA. We will help with the establishment or purchase of a company in Lithuania that meets the requirements of the regulator, prepare the business plan, policies, procedures, risk assessment and AML/KYC documents required by MiCA and communicate with the Bank of Lithuania. Also Company in Lithuania UAB can help in finding and employing a Lithuanian KYC/AML officer for your company and train it in customer identification requirements under the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism.It should be noted that the selected employee will be a member of your company only, which is in accordance with the non-competitive clause and will represent it with the regulator. In addition, our employees can choose an office that fully complies with your company’s requirements and help with opening a bank account to deposit capital and open an account for working with crypto exchanges. Company in Lithuania UAB specialists will be glad to keep you up to date with all the latest changes in Lithuanian legislation and are always ready to answer all your questions.

The most common reasons for delays are incomplete or generic documentation, a business plan that does not match the actual business model, insufficient substance in the EU and managers or AML officers without the required experience. The Bank of Lithuania also pays close attention to the origin of the funds of the shareholders.

The opening of a bank account for a high-risk company, which is cryptocurrency, is a complex and sensitive issue. It is worth taking into account the fact that not every bank of Lithuania cooperates with companies of such activities, and buying a company with an open bank account is impossible. Our company has partner banks all over Europe that are ready to work with cryptocurrency, and we will be happy to accompany our clients in opening an account. Company in Lithuania UAB offers a wide range of additional services, such as accounting services for cryptocurrency companies, tax advice, financial licenses (EMI, Payment institution) and employment assistance (KYC/AML officer). For us the individual approach to each of our clients is important. We take care of the needs of your business, combining individual order processing as well as professional consultations, reasonable rates and company registration services in Lithuania for customers from all over the world. Besides, Company in Lithuania UAB provides support to entrepreneurs in accordance with the latest innovations of Lithuanian legislation throughout the life of their companies.