Need a Lithuania crypto exchange license? RUE helps exchanges, custody providers, brokers, and trading platforms obtain CASP authorization under MiCA before the Bank of Lithuania.
Prepared by RUE editorial team · Reviewed by Milana · Updated 19 May 2026
Book Eligibility CallNeed a MiCA license in Lithuania? RUE helps exchanges, custody providers, brokers, and trading platforms structure a UAB, map the service perimeter, prepare regulator-grade documentation, and manage the Bank of Lithuania review process end to end.
"As your point of contact, I help coordinate the licensing process end-to-end, keep communication clear, and move your application forward without unnecessary delays."
RUE provides end-to-end support for MiCA license applications in Lithuania, including company formation, service-scope analysis, governance design, AML/CFT framework drafting, DORA-aligned ICT documentation, and regulator-facing submissions.
We also assist with corporate structuring, banking strategy, local substance planning, and post-authorization compliance so your Lithuania CASP is built for approval and sustainable operation, not just for filing.
The Bank of Lithuania is the national competent authority for CASP authorization and supervision in Lithuania.
Once authorized, a Lithuania CASP can notify cross-border services across the EU under MiCA passporting rules.
Lithuania offers a mature ecosystem for fintech, legal, compliance, accounting, and payment operations.
Lithuania works well for firms ready to build real AML, governance, safeguarding, and ICT resilience from day one.
Compare MiCA Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 by permitted activities and baseline requirements.
| Activity / Option | Mica Class 1 - 50 000 EUR | Mica Class 2 - 125 000 EUR | Mica Class 3 - 150 000 EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reception and transmission of orders | V | V | V |
| Execution of orders on behalf of clients | V | V | V |
| Advisory and portfolio management | V | V | V |
| Crypto-fiat and crypto-crypto exchange | X | V | V |
| Custody and administration of crypto-assets | X | V | V |
| Operation of a trading platform | X | X | V |
A MiCA license in Lithuania means authorization as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) under Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. In 2026, new applicants should approach Lithuania through the full MiCA/CASP route rather than the legacy local VASP narrative that dominated pre-transition materials.
The Bank of Lithuania reviews not only formal eligibility, but also whether your company can operate safely in practice. That means your file must show a coherent business model, adequate capital, credible management, effective AML/CFT controls, client-asset safeguarding, and ICT governance that aligns with the broader compliance stack, including DORA and the Transfer of Funds Regulation.
Below are the requirements that matter most for founders seeking a CASP license in Lithuania. Exact expectations depend on your service mix, custody model, outsourcing structure, and target markets.
Minimum own-funds thresholds under MiCA are typically structured as follows:
Class 1 (€50,000): execution, placing, transfers, reception/transmission, advice and portfolio management. Class 2 (€125,000): Class 1 services plus custody or exchange against funds or other crypto-assets. Class 3 (€150,000): Class 2 services plus operation of a trading platform. The highest applicable class determines the Annex IV minimum.
Under Article 67 MiCA, a CASP must maintain prudential safeguards at least equal to the higher of the applicable Annex IV minimum (€50,000, €125,000 or €150,000) and one quarter of the preceding year’s fixed overheads. A provider operating for less than one year uses projected fixed overheads for its first 12 months. The safeguards may consist of qualifying own funds, an insurance policy or comparable guarantee meeting Article 67, or a combination of these. The launch budget must separately cover legal work, compliance tooling, staffing, accounting, audit and ICT implementation.
You will generally need a Lithuanian legal entity, most often a UAB, with a registered office and a governance setup that supports effective supervision. A formal address alone is not enough if the actual management, compliance, and operational control sit elsewhere with no local accountability.
In practice, the Bank of Lithuania and banking providers look for real substance: clear decision-making lines, accessible management, documented outsourcing oversight, and a credible local operating model. Depending on your business model, that may include local directors or senior managers, a local AML function, or at least a practical supervision footprint in Lithuania. Incorporation itself often takes 1-3 weeks, but substance planning should start before filing.
The Bank of Lithuania will assess whether shareholders, beneficial owners, directors, and key function holders are fit and proper. This review usually covers:
A weak management file is one of the most common reasons for delay. A strong file usually contains detailed CVs, role descriptions, evidence of prior regulated experience, clean background documentation, and a governance map that matches the actual business model.
A Lithuania CASP must maintain a business-specific AML/CFT framework aligned with the Lithuanian Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, MiCA conduct expectations, and the operational realities of crypto-assets. A generic template is not enough.
You will usually need a clearly designated AML officer or MLRO-equivalent function with sufficient authority, expertise, and access to management. Whether this role must be locally based depends on the concrete setup, but effective local supervision and responsiveness are critical in practice.
In 2026, a CASP application without serious ICT governance is structurally weak. The regulator expects you to show how your platform manages availability, integrity, confidentiality, key management, incident escalation, outsourcing risk, and business continuity.
A practical nuance many competitors miss: if you outsource core wallet, KYC, or transaction-monitoring functions, the regulator will still expect your board and control functions to understand and supervise those providers rather than treat outsourcing as a compliance shortcut.
Your application must explain exactly what you do, for whom, where, and how. The Bank of Lithuania will compare your narrative against your policies, customer journey, custody model, and revenue assumptions. Inconsistencies create immediate review friction.
A strong package usually includes:
One underappreciated issue is negative-space analysis: you should also identify what your company does not do, for example whether you avoid custody, avoid dealing in own account, or do not issue tokens. This helps prevent overbroad regulatory interpretation.
If your model involves custody or control over client crypto-assets or client funds, safeguarding becomes central. The regulator will expect a clear description of wallet ownership, signing authority, reconciliation, insolvency ring-fencing logic, and segregation of client assets from proprietary assets.
Typical focus points include:
CASP authorization does not automatically solve token-issuance questions. If your project also plans an ART, EMT, or admission-to-trading strategy, separate MiCA analysis is required in parallel.
A Lithuania MiCA license improves credibility with banks and EMIs, but it does not guarantee account opening. You should prepare a banking strategy early, especially if your model needs fiat on-ramp/off-ramp, client-money segregation, or merchant acquiring.
Founders typically need:
RUE regularly aligns licensing and banking workstreams together because a technically licensable model can still fail commercially if its fiat rails are not credible.
Compare Lithuania with other jurisdictions by key conditions for obtaining and operating a MiCA/CASP license: regulator, review period, fees, capital, local substance, and passporting.
5 jurisdictions in this table
* This table focuses on MiCA/CASP authorization conditions. Use the settings icon to customize countries and parameters.
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A MiCA license in Lithuania should be budgeted as a regulated operating platform, not just a filing exercise. The tax side matters, but for most founders the larger economic question is the full compliance stack: capital, staffing, AML tooling, accounting, audit, legal support, cybersecurity, and banking infrastructure.
Lithuania corporate taxation in 2026 is generally competitive by EU standards, but the exact tax outcome depends on your legal structure, revenue mix, VAT treatment, transfer-pricing profile, and whether you have taxable presence in other jurisdictions through passported activity or local branches.
The practical launch formula is:
For a lean advisory or broker model, the non-capital launch budget can still be material. For exchange, custody, or trading-platform models, the operational spend rises sharply because safeguarding, monitoring, and incident-management expectations are heavier.
RUE usually coordinates licensing with accounting, Lithuania crypto tax planning, and banking support so the approved structure is also workable in daily operations.
A Lithuania CASP must maintain continuous compliance with MiCA, AML/CFT, TFR, DORA, corporate, and reporting obligations after authorization.
A MiCA license in Lithuania is authorization for a company to provide regulated crypto-asset services as a CASP under Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. In practical terms, this is the route for exchanges, brokers, custody providers, trading platforms, portfolio managers, and other crypto intermediaries that want to operate lawfully from Lithuania and potentially passport services across the EU.
For 2026 applicants, the relevant question is no longer whether Lithuania still offers a legacy VASP path. The operative route is the full MiCA/CASP authorization framework, with the Bank of Lithuania acting as the national competent authority. That means your application must be assessed against MiCA governance, prudential, conduct, safeguarding, and organizational standards rather than older local registration logic.
Founders usually need this license if their company:
A key nuance is that CASP authorization is service-based. The regulator will look at what your platform actually does in operational reality, not just at the label you place on your website. A firm calling itself a “technology provider” may still fall inside MiCA if it controls client flows, private keys, order routing, or settlement logic.
Answer a few quick questions to find out if this jurisdiction suits your crypto business
Based on your answers, this jurisdiction matches your business requirements well. Here's a quick summary:
Recommended License
CASP License
Estimated Budget
€24,000 – €35,000
Estimated Timeframe
4–6 months
EU Passporting
Available
We map your business model to MiCA services, identify whether you fall inside or outside CASP scope, select the likely capital class, and test readiness across governance, AML, ICT, and substance. Typical duration: 1-3 weeks.
We incorporate the Lithuanian UAB, arrange registered-office formalities, structure shareholding, prepare governance documents, and align the company with future licensing needs. Typical duration: 1-3 weeks.
We define management roles, AML/compliance function, outsourcing model, local presence, and banking strategy. This phase is critical because weak substance planning often causes later regulator pushback. Typical duration: 1-3 weeks.
We prepare the business plan, financial projections, AML/CFT framework, risk policies, safeguarding documentation, complaints procedures, ICT architecture, DORA-related controls, and supporting personal/corporate files. Typical duration: 4-10 weeks.
We assemble the final data room, quality-check consistency across all documents, and submit the CASP application to the Bank of Lithuania with the required forms and evidence. Typical duration: 1 week.
MiCA provides 25 working days from receipt for the completeness check and 40 working days from receipt of a complete application for the authorisation decision. A request for further information made no later than working day 20 of the assessment can suspend that assessment for up to 20 working days; subsequent requests do not suspend it. Preparation and completion of missing documentation add to the overall project timeline.
After approval, we finalize internal controls, banking and payment arrangements, onboarding flows, Travel Rule operations, reporting lines, and post-license compliance calendar so the CASP can launch in a controlled way. Typical duration: 2-4 weeks.
Open the key issues founders, compliance teams and legal leads usually need to confirm before launch.
In 2026, a MiCA license in Lithuania means CASP authorization under Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. It is the route for exchanges, brokers, custody providers, trading platforms, portfolio managers, and other crypto intermediaries that want to operate lawfully from Lithuania and potentially passport services across the EU.
The Bank of Lithuania is the national competent authority, so the file must show a credible business model, capital, governance, AML/CFT controls, safeguarding, and operational readiness.
Usually yes, if your model includes exchange, custody, order routing, or a trading venue. These activities typically fall inside CASP scope under MiCA, especially when the platform controls client assets or executes client transactions.
Exchange and custody models usually sit at higher capital classes and require stronger safeguarding, monitoring, and technical documentation than lighter advisory or transmission-only models.
Not as the planning baseline for new entrants. Older VASP references are legacy terminology, while new market entrants should plan around the full MiCA/CASP authorization framework and current Bank of Lithuania supervision expectations.
If a business still relies on a VASP-style narrative, it usually needs to be remapped to the actual MiCA service perimeter before filing.
Yes, foreign founders can obtain a MiCA license in Lithuania through a Lithuanian company, usually a UAB, provided they meet ownership transparency, source-of-funds, governance, and fit-and-proper requirements. Foreign ownership itself is not the problem; weak substance, unclear UBO structure, or poor documentation usually is.
In practice, the Bank of Lithuania will focus on whether the company can be effectively supervised in Lithuania and whether the management and compliance setup is credible for the proposed services.
A realistic timeline is usually 3-6+ months from project start to authorization, depending on readiness. Incorporation often takes 1-3 weeks, document preparation 4-10 weeks, and regulator review can extend for several months depending on completeness and Q&A rounds.
MiCA provides 25 working days from receipt for the completeness check and 40 working days from receipt of a complete application for the authorisation decision. A request for further information made no later than working day 20 of the assessment can suspend that assessment for up to 20 working days; subsequent requests do not suspend it. Preparation and completion of missing documentation add to the overall project timeline.
Class 1 (€50,000) covers execution, placing, reception and transmission of orders, advice, portfolio management and transfer services. Class 2 (€125,000) adds custody and exchange of crypto-assets for funds or other crypto-assets. Class 3 (€150,000) adds operation of a trading platform. For combined services, use the highest applicable Annex IV class. Under Article 67 MiCA, a CASP must maintain prudential safeguards at least equal to the higher of the applicable Annex IV minimum (€50,000, €125,000 or €150,000) and one quarter of the preceding year’s fixed overheads. A provider operating for less than one year uses projected fixed overheads for its first 12 months. The safeguards may consist of qualifying own funds, an insurance policy or comparable guarantee meeting Article 67, or a combination of these.
Yes, an authorized Lithuania CASP can generally passport services across the EU through the MiCA notification mechanism. This is one of the main commercial advantages of obtaining authorization in an EU member state.
Passporting does not remove all local obligations. You may still need to comply with host-state rules on consumer protection, marketing, tax, and local operational matters depending on how you enter each market.
No, CASP authorization does not automatically authorize token issuance. A CASP license covers regulated crypto-asset services. Token issuance, admission to trading, and white paper obligations require separate analysis under MiCA, especially for asset-referenced tokens (ARTs) and e-money tokens (EMTs).
This distinction is critical for founders building combined exchange-plus-token projects. The service-provider and issuer analyses should be run in parallel, not merged into one assumption.
Not as a universal black-letter rule in every case, but the AML function must be effective, competent, and compatible with local supervision. In practice, Lithuanian presence or at least strong local accessibility is often important, especially for firms with active onboarding, fiat rails, or higher-risk customer flows.
The right answer depends on your structure, outsourcing model, and regulator expectations for effective control. Founders should treat this as a practical supervisory issue, not just a formal checkbox.
The main post-license obligations include ongoing AML/CFT controls, Travel Rule compliance, safeguarding, governance maintenance, reporting, audit, and ICT resilience. A CASP must keep policies updated, monitor transactions, file suspicious reports where needed, maintain records, and notify material changes to the regulator.
For many firms, the biggest operational burden after approval comes from the combined effect of MiCA + DORA + TFR + AML law, not from MiCA alone.
