Lithuania for operators.

Company setup

Entity types. UAB (private limited liability company): minimum share capital €1,000 since 1 May 2023 (down from €2,500); shareholders can be individuals or legal entities. AB (public company): minimum capital €25,000. MB (small partnership): no minimum capital, 1-10 members, natural persons only.

Time to incorporate. Usually 3-5 business days for a UAB, per International House Vilnius. Registration is online via the Centre of Registers for founders with a Lithuanian e-signature/Mobile-ID; others go through a notary.

Local director. No Lithuanian residency requirement for the UAB director was found in the sources reviewed. A UAB can appoint a foreign director, but must sign a written employment contract with them. Treat as unverified against the statute itself.

A registered physical address in Lithuania is required. Share capital is paid into a temporary account before registration. Non-EU nationals can apply for Lithuanian e-residency, which gives an e-signature for remote company setup and e-services. Some banking steps may still need an in-person visit or a power of attorney. Shareholder changes in a UAB are filed electronically (JADIS) with a qualified e-signature.

Sources: eimin.lrv.lt · fondia.com · ihvilnius.lt · govilnius.lt · triniti.eu · 1office.co

Banking & EMI access

Traditional Lithuanian banks (Swedbank, SEB, Luminor, Artea and others) apply strict KYC to non-residents. For example, Artea requires third-country individuals to come in person, provide a Lithuanian residence permit and pay a deposit. No primary source was found that sets out a uniform policy on foreign-owned companies, so expect a case-by-case review and a need to show real substance.

Most international operators use EMIs instead: Lithuanian EMIs and PIs can join the Bank of Lithuania's CENTROlink system for SEPA Credit Transfer, SEPA Instant and SEPA Direct Debit. CENTROlink had more than 140 active participants (page updated 20 May 2026). Safeguarding: client funds cannot be safeguarded inside central-bank payment systems.

They must be held in segregated accounts with credit institutions, in safe liquid assets, or under other approved methods. At end-2024 the sector held €1.2bn of client funds with credit institutions, €671m with central banks and €742m in safe liquid assets. The Bank of Lithuania has told banks that unilaterally refusing or closing EMI/PI accounts can harm those institutions.

Safeguarding breaches are among the most common grounds for its fines.

Sources: artea.lt · lb.lt · lb.lt · lb.lt · lb.lt

EMI regime & enforcement

EMIs and PIs are licensed by the Bank of Lithuania under the EU E-Money (2009/110/EC) and Payment Services (PSD2) directives as transposed into Lithuanian law. EMIs need at least €350,000 of initial capital, and both EMIs and PIs can passport across the EEA (ZEN.COM, for example, is notified for 29 Member States). At end-2024 there were 119 licensed institutions (76 EMIs, 43 PIs).

In 2024 the Bank of Lithuania issued 3 new licences and revoked 9, ran 15 targeted inspections and applied 19 sanctions (source: Bank of Lithuania, 24 March 2025). Its EMI page currently says it supervises 80 EMIs (no as-of date given). Enforcement since 2025 has focused on AML/CTF, safeguarding, sanctions screening and reporting.

Fines include Revolut Bank UAB €3.5m (reported 8 Apr 2025, administrative settlement), Paysera LT €400,000 (2 Sep 2025), then €25,000 (4 Nov 2025) and €362,000 (23 Jun 2026) for not complying with instructions, Monavate €270,000 (25 Nov 2025), ZEN.COM €1.8m (4 Dec 2025), ConnectPay €98,000 (20 Jan 2026), European Merchant Bank €270,000 (9 Apr 2026), Walletto €290,000 (14 Apr 2026), Nuvei €90,000 (2 Jun 2026), TransferGo Lithuania €42,000 (23 Jun 2026) and Nayax Europe €90,000 (21 Jul 2026). Licences were revoked for Paytend Europe (26 Feb 2026; AML failures, no suspicious transaction reports filed, safeguarding failures) and AlphaPay (21 Jul 2026, after an April 2026 suspension; the company is insolvent and the Bank of Lithuania said it would apply for bankruptcy). Pervesk received a warning on 8 Sep 2026.

Sources: lb.lt · lb.lt · lb.lt · lrt.lt · lrt.lt · lb.lt · eur-lex.europa.eu

Licensed firms we track

Licence status and enforcement come from the regulator. Onboarding and sector details are only what each firm states publicly; "unknown" means it doesn't say. Check the register link before you rely on any firm.

Enforcement timeline

1. 21 Jul 2026AlphaPay (formerly NovaPay): Payment institution licence revoked; the Bank of Lithuania said the firm is insolvent and it would seek bankruptcy proceedings source
2. 23 Jun 2026Paysera LT: Fine €362,000, calculated per day the 2 Sep 2025 instructions remained unfulfilled source
3. 21 Apr 2026AlphaPay (formerly NovaPay): Licence suspended; restriction on disposing of funds in client accounts (safeguarding breaches) source
4. 14 Apr 2026Walletto: Fine €290,000 and public disclosure (AML/CTF, e-money rules, incomplete/incorrect information) source
5. 9 Apr 2026European Merchant Bank: Fine €270,000 and warning (AML/CTF and international sanctions instructions) source
6. 26 Feb 2026Paytend Europe: EMI licence revoked (AML/CTF failures, suspicious transactions not reported, capital and safeguarding breaches; announced 4 Mar 2026) source
7. 20 Jan 2026ConnectPay: Fine €98,000 (AML/CTF) source
8. 4 Dec 2025ZEN.COM: Fine €1,800,000 and warning (AML/CTF, safeguarding, sanctions, incorrect information) source
9. 25 Nov 2025Monavate: Fine €270,000 and warning (AML/CTF, e-money law, safeguarding) source
10. 4 Nov 2025Paysera LT: Fine €25,000 for not complying with the instructions in the 2 Sep 2025 decision source
11. 2 Sept 2025Paysera LT: Fine €400,000 (banking/financial institution law, reporting and own-funds calculation) source
12. 8 Apr 2025Revolut Bank UAB: Fine €3.5m for AML transaction-monitoring deficiencies (administrative settlement; date is when it was reported) source
13. 10 Nov 2022Revolut Bank UAB: Fine €70,000, warning and public disclosure (payments law and large-exposure rules) source
14. 21 Jul 2022ZEN.COM: Fine €30,000 source
15. 11 Jun 2021ZEN.COM: Fine €60,000 and public disclosure source

Crypto (MiCA)

MiCA applies. Lithuania's transitional period ended on 31 December 2025, so providing crypto-asset services without a MiCA licence has been illegal since 1 January 2026. The Bank of Lithuania can block websites, and unlicensed financial services can bring criminal liability.

The Bank of Lithuania's licence list shows four CASP licences: No. 1 Robinhood Europe UAB (29 May 2025), No. 2 UAB Decentralized/CoinGate (16 Dec 2025), No. 3 Nuvei Liquidity UAB (16 Dec 2025) and No. 4 UAB Micar Assets (26 Feb 2026). Two EMIs (BLUE EMI LT, Newrails) provide crypto services under the Article 60 notification route, but this comes from a secondary source (Sumsub, Sep 2026). Under the old regime, more than 370 companies had declared to the Centre of Registers that they provide crypto services, but only about 120 actually operated (Bank of Lithuania, July 2025).

That register no longer gives a right to operate, and a law-firm summary says unlicensed VASP entries were removed from 2 January 2026. Travel Rule: the EU Transfer of Funds Regulation (EU) 2023/1113 has applied to crypto-asset transfers since 30 December 2024.

Sources: lb.lt · lb.lt · lb.lt · lb.lt · lb.lt · sorainen.com · lrt.lt · sumsub.com · ecovis.lt · eur-lex.europa.eu

Tax

From 1 January 2026 the standard corporate income tax rate is 17% (16% in 2025, 15% before that). The reduced rate for small companies is 7% (6% in 2025): it covers companies with revenue under €300,000, and other conditions apply (check VMI guidance). Newly established small companies pay 0% for their first two tax periods, up from one, subject to anti-avoidance conditions.

Credit institutions pay an extra rate on profits above €2m. Dividends paid to companies are taxed at 0% or 17%: they are exempt for a holding of at least 10% held for 12 months, unless the recipient is in a tax haven or the arrangement is abusive. Dividend WHT for non-resident individuals was 15% in 2025; the 2026 rate was not verified.

Interest and royalties WHT is 10%, with 0% for EEA or treaty-country interest recipients. Standard VAT is 21%, and reduced rates are 12%, 5% and 0% (the general 9% rate was abolished from 2026). Lithuanian businesses must register for VAT above €45,000 turnover; foreign businesses must register from their first taxable supply.

Sources: assets.kpmg.com · kpmg.com · vmi.lt · deloitte.com · 1office.co

Risk lists

FATF. Not a FATF member in its own right; evaluated by MONEYVAL (Council of Europe). Not on the FATF grey list or black list (June 2026 update).

EU high-risk list. No. The EU high-risk third-country list covers non-EU countries only, and Lithuania is an EU Member State.

MONEYVAL adopted Lithuania's 5th-round mutual evaluation in December 2018 and placed it in enhanced follow-up. It was placed in Compliance Enhancing Procedures in December 2023 over Recommendation 6 (targeted financial sanctions) and removed on 5 December 2024.

Sources: rm.coe.int · dia.govt.nz

Regulators

• Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas): Licenses and supervises banks, specialised banks, EMIs, PIs and MiCA crypto-asset service providers; imposes fines and revokes licences; operates the CENTROlink SEPA payment system
• European Central Bank (SSM): Grants and withdraws banking licences, including specialised bank licences, on the Bank of Lithuania's proposal
• Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT/FCIS): Lithuania's financial intelligence unit (Money Laundering Prevention Board): receives suspicious transaction reports and coordinates AML/CTF prevention
• State Tax Inspectorate (VMI): Tax administration (corporate income tax, VAT, withholding)
• State Enterprise Centre of Registers (Registrų centras): Keeps the Register of Legal Entities; online company registration