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Jurisdictions
Authorisation across jurisdictions
We work worldwide. Our deepest experience is in UK and European regimes, but the right home for a regulated business is a strategic choice — and we help firms make it, then deliver the authorisation wherever it lands.
Where you authorise a financial business shapes almost everything that follows: the markets you can reach, the capital you must hold, the substance you need on the ground, how long approval takes, and how the business is perceived by banks and counterparties. For many firms the jurisdiction is not a given — it is one of the first decisions we help them get right.
We advise on that choice and then build the application to the standard the relevant regulator expects. Where local law requires it, we work alongside qualified local counsel and licensed representatives, so you have one team coordinating the whole process rather than a patchwork of advisers in different countries.
Regions we work across
Deepest in the UK and Europe, and active across the major financial centres worldwide.
United Kingdom
A leading base for payments, investment, insurance and — from 2026 — cryptoasset firms, with a regulator experienced in new business models.
European Union & EEA
Authorise in one member state and passport across the EEA. Common bases include Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands.
Middle East
English-language, common-law financial centres with fast-developing payments and digital-asset regimes.
Asia-Pacific
Established hubs for payments, funds and digital assets, each with its own licensing regime.
North America
A patchwork of federal and state requirements, particularly for payments and digital assets.
Offshore & specialist centres
Well-regulated jurisdictions often used for funds, insurance and holding structures.
How we help you choose
Activities and permissions
The regulated activities you intend to carry on, and which regimes actually permit them.
Market access and passporting
Where your customers are, and whether one authorisation can reach them — as EEA passporting does.
Capital and substance
The regulatory capital you must hold and the real presence — people, directors, offices — a regulator will expect.
Timeline and engagement
How long approval realistically takes, and how the regulator engages with new applicants.
Cost and tax
Application and ongoing cost, and the wider operating and tax position of the jurisdiction.
Reputation and banking
How the jurisdiction is perceived, and how easily an authorised firm there can obtain banking.
Applications close on 28 February 2027 and the regime takes effect in October 2027. Pre-application meetings with the regulator are already available. If you will need UK authorisation, the time to start the application is now.