Global Licence and Compliance Map
Compare official payment, stablecoin, wallet, trading, AML and tax requirements across eight core markets, with source and verification dates.
Compare eight core regulatory markets
Open a market guide for its payment, stablecoin, wallet and custody, trading, KYC and AML, and tax records. Each record identifies the regulator, who the requirement may apply to, an official source, and the last verification date.
Use the map as a starting point
The map is information navigation, not legal, tax, regulatory, licensing, or market-entry advice. Your entity, product, fund flow, customers, and regulated activities determine which rules apply.
Compare market requirements
Reviewed reference snapshot. Check the verification date and current authority source; this is not legal advice.
United States
Federal AML registration and state licensing can apply at the same time.
- FinCEN — FinCEN MSB Registration
- State regulators / NMLS — State Money Transmitter Licensing
- NYDFS — New York BitLicense
European Union
PSD2 payment rules coexist with the EU-wide MiCA crypto-asset framework.
- EU national competent authorities — PSD2 Payment Institution
- EU national competent authorities — Electronic Money Institution
- ESMA / national authorities — MiCA CASP Authorisation
United Kingdom
Payment and e-money authorisation is active while the crypto perimeter is transitioning.
Singapore
Payment Services Act licence classes cover regulated payment activities including DPT services.
Hong Kong
Money services, stored value, virtual-asset trading and stablecoin issuance have distinct regimes.
- Hong Kong Customs — Money Service Operator Licence
- HKMA — Stored Value Facility Licence
- SFC — Virtual Asset Trading Platform Licence
United Arab Emirates
Federal payment rules coexist with emirate and financial-free-zone virtual-asset regimes.
- CBUAE — Retail Payment Services Licence
- CBUAE — Stored Value Facility Licence
- VARA — Dubai VARA VASP Licence
Japan
The Payment Services Act separates funds transfer, crypto exchange and stablecoin services.
- Japan FSA — Funds Transfer Service Provider
- Japan FSA — Crypto-asset Exchange Service Provider
- Japan FSA — Electronic Payment Instrument Service Provider
Canada
FINTRAC and Bank of Canada registrations can overlap; stablecoin rules are developing.
- FINTRAC — FINTRAC MSB Registration
- Bank of Canada — RPAA PSP Registration
- Department of Finance Canada — Proposed Federal Stablecoin Framework