--- title: "Digital Banking Platform for Portuguese EMIs | Crassula" description: "Launch e-money accounts under a Banco de Portugal EMI authorisation: branded apps, cards issued by API, SEPA Instant and the IT part of your file." url: "https://crassula.io/solutions/digital-banking/portugal-emi/" lang: "en" image: "https://crassula.io/static/images/og/crassula-default.d7d01fb8a962.jpg" alternates: "en": "https://crassula.io/solutions/digital-banking/portugal-emi/" "de": "https://crassula.io/de/solutions/digital-banking/portugal-emi/" "es": "https://crassula.io/es/solutions/digital-banking/portugal-emi/" "fr": "https://crassula.io/fr/solutions/digital-banking/portugal-emi/" "x-default": "https://crassula.io/solutions/digital-banking/portugal-emi/" index: "https://crassula.io/llms.txt" --- Portugal · EMI # Digital banking for e-money institutions authorised in Portugal Around 7 million people in Portugal use MB WAY, and Multibanco has shaped how the country pays since 1985. A new e-money app has to feel just as quick. Get a branded front end, accounts and cards, while your team in Portugal runs the institution. [Request demo](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) [Digital Banking →](https://crassula.io/solutions/digital-banking/) Your market**Portugal**EMI - Branded web and mobile apps - E-money accounts, IBANs and cards - Instant euro transfers - Back office for your management in Portugal Rails your customers can use **SEPA Credit Transfer****SEPA Instant****SEPA Direct Debit****SWIFT****Card payments** What the regulator asks about your IT**7** Case Studies ## See what teams build with Crassula. ![Multipass](https://crassula.io/static/images/solutions/cases/logo-multipass.7fb14a8eede7.png) - Multi-currency accounts - Cross-border payments - BaaS connections Live on Crassula ### [Custom financial products for global businesses.](https://crassula.io/cases/multipass/) Global business accounts, multi-currency payments and cross-border solutions, supported by Crassula APIs and BaaS connections. [Read case study: Multipass](https://crassula.io/cases/multipass/) ![LuxPay](https://crassula.io/static/images/solutions/cases/logo-luxpay.7d1fa138b9ba.png) - IBAN · SEPA - Card issuing - KYC onboarding Live on Crassula ### [A connected banking platform for modern financial services.](https://crassula.io/cases/luxpay/) Account details, SEPA payments, card issuing, KYC onboarding and multi-currency exchange in one financial product. [Read case study: LuxPay](https://crassula.io/cases/luxpay/) Digital Banking · EMI ## What a Portuguese EMI can offer its customers ### An e-money account opened on the phone Registration, onboarding questionnaire, identity check through a connected provider, then an IBAN and a card. Your team writes the Portuguese terms and notices. ### Payments that arrive in seconds SEPA Instant in and out, plus regular SEPA and SWIFT transfers from the same account, with push notifications when money moves. ### Cards customers control Cards issued by API through a pre-integrated issuer, with per-card limits and settings. You contract the issuer directly. ### Accounts for freelancers and small firms A business questionnaire at onboarding, saved counterparties and batch transfers that are approved before they go out. ### Clear prices Fees come from price lists your team keeps in the back office, so a tariff change needs no developer. ### What this licence does not cover - Deposits or other repayable funds. Money received must be exchanged for e-money without delay. - Lending from the funds received for e-money. Credit is only possible when linked to a payment service, and it must be reported to the Banco de Portugal's credit register. - Running the firm from abroad. Head office and effective management must be in Portugal, with part of the main business carried out there. Your market ## What the regulator asks about your IT Each requirement, what the platform gives you for it and who owns it after launch. 1 A public limited company (SA) or private limited company (Lda) with EUR 350,000 share capital Technology costs per launch stage for the three-year forecast accounts in your business plan. You, with our input 2 Protection of funds received for e-money (Article 58 of the RJSPME) Balance and transaction reports from the platform, which your finance team uses to reconcile against the safeguarding account. Your finance team, on platform data 3 Own funds of at least 2% of average e-money outstanding Account balance reports that give the e-money outstanding your own funds calculation starts from. Your finance team 4 Customer information in Portuguese unless agreed otherwise (Article 78) Apps localized to more than 15 languages. Contracts and notices in Portuguese come from your team. You, with our input 5 Strong customer authentication Two-factor login and payment confirmation in the web and mobile apps. Crassula 6 AML controls under Law 83/2017 Onboarding questionnaires, identity checks through connected providers and client limits. Ongoing monitoring runs in your own tool. Your compliance officer, with a connected provider 7 DORA: ICT risk, third-party providers and exit Hosting, security, incident process, subcontractors and exit plan described for your register of information. You, with our input Portugal ## Payment rails and providers Rails your customers can use SEPA Credit Transfer SEPA Instant SEPA Direct Debit SWIFT Card payments **24/7**real-time processing, no batch window **60+**payment and provider integrations connected **150+**companies run on Crassula **15+**languages the platform speaks Portugal ## Dates to plan around Rules that change what you have to build, in the order they apply. 1. **17 Jan 2025** DORA applies, so ICT risk management and outsourcing records are part of every EMI's supervision. 2. **Mar 2025** MB WAY users can send money instantly to Bizum users in Spain and Bancomat users in Italy, which raises the bar for cross-border P2P. 3. **9 Oct 2025** Portuguese EMIs offering euro credit transfers must give payers a check of the payee's name against the IBAN. 4. **9 Apr 2027** Euro area EMIs must send and receive SEPA Instant payments. 5. **Around 2028** PSD3 is expected to apply once published in the Official Journal. EMIs then move into a single payment institution regime. EMI ## Preparing a Banco de Portugal EMI application? Name us in your file. The RJSPME asks for a programme of operations that names the technical means you will use and the third parties that run operational functions. We give you a working platform to describe and help write those parts of the file. [Talk to us about your application](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) Crassula provides technology and documentation support. We do not provide legal or regulatory advice and cannot guarantee the outcome of an application. 1. 01 ### A platform you can demonstrate A configured environment to show the regulator, not slides. 2. 02 ### The technical part of your application, prepared IT systems, security, customer authentication, outsourcing and DORA sections of your Banco de Portugal file. 3. 03 ### Providers lined up Banking, safeguarding and KYC providers from our network, matched to your licence. ![A customer checking her banking app in a café.](https://crassula.io/static/images/features/people/everyday-1200.e86174e595f2.webp) Digital Banking ## A Lisbon e-money app, from file to launch A Lisbon team designs an account for people paid in several currencies, such as remote workers and returning emigrants. Their Banco de Portugal file describes the platform, the card issuer and the safeguarding bank, and our environment shows how each top-up is turned into e-money and protected. While the Banco de Portugal assesses the file, they finish the Portuguese terms and test SEPA Instant transfers end to end. After authorisation they launch in Portugal and later passport to Spain. More detail: our [Portugal EMI and PI guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/portugal-emi-pi/) and [EMI licensing in the EU](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/electronic-money-institution/). Guides ## Read the licence guides ![Portugal EMI and PI License in 2026: Banco de Portugal Guide](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/portugal-emi-pi/lisbon-belem-preview-960.6f7d2eb1944f.jpg) ### [Portugal EMI and PI License in 2026: Banco de Portugal Guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/portugal-emi-pi/) ![Electronic Money Institution (EMI) License in 2026: The Complete Guide](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/electronic-money-institution/emoney-coin-preview-960.54bbaf747450.jpg) ### [Electronic Money Institution (EMI) License in 2026: The Complete Guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/electronic-money-institution/) ![DORA for Payment Institutions and EMIs in 2026](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/dora-for-payment-institutions/resilience-breakwater-preview-960.69351f6fad47.jpg) ### [DORA for Payment Institutions and EMIs in 2026](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/dora-for-payment-institutions/) ![PSD3 and PSR in 2026: The Complete Transition Guide](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/psd3-psr/psd3-prism-preview-960.fdc84015d1d8.jpg) ### [PSD3 and PSR in 2026: The Complete Transition Guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/psd3-psr/) [**Explore all guides**Licensing, payments, cards and core banking, explained by our team.](https://crassula.io/guides/) Portugal · EMI ## FAQ The questions teams ask us before a first call. [**Not covered here?**Bring your question to a demo with our team.](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) How long does the Banco de Portugal take to decide? Three months from a complete application, and no later than 12 months after the first submission. If the file is incomplete, the three months run from the day the missing information arrives. Can the Banco de Portugal tell us how to safeguard funds? Yes. The RJSPME lets it decide which protection method an EMI must use: a separate account at a credit institution, secure low-risk assets, or insurance or a guarantee from an outside insurer or bank. Which assets count as safe for e-money funds? Low-risk debt assets defined by reference to the EU Capital Requirements Regulation, and units in UCITS funds that invest only in such assets. The Banco de Portugal can exclude specific assets. Can our customers use MB WAY with our account? MB WAY is run by SIBS for its participating institutions. Whether you join is a decision for you and SIBS. Inside your own app, SEPA Instant already moves euros in seconds. Do our customer documents have to be in Portuguese? The law says information to payment service users is given in Portuguese unless both sides agree on another language. The apps are localized to more than 15 languages, and the contract texts are yours to write. Can we demo the app to the Banco de Portugal before filing? Yes. Setting up a branded demo environment takes as little as 10 business days. Portugal · EMI ## What a Portuguese EMI can offer its customers Tell us your licence and country. We will map the rails, providers and documents you need. [Request demo](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) [**Know what you pay**One setup fee and a monthly plan with accounts and transactions included.*See pricing →*](https://crassula.io/prices/) [**Start with the API**Documented endpoints for accounts, payments, cards and customers.*Explore the API →*](https://crassula.io/features/api/)