National Supervisory Authority & Licensing Qualification Dossier • European Economic Area & Switzerland
ECB
European UnionEuropean Central Bank
Source / Native Reference: 欧洲中央银行
- Supervisory tier
- Tier-1
- License classes
- 2
- Licensed records
- 35
- Active / regulated
- 35
Statutory Supervisory Mandate & Scope
European Central Bank (ECB Banking Supervision / SSM) (ECB) is the central banking and prudential supervisory authority in European Union (Tier-1 jurisdiction). Its mandate encompasses monetary policy implementation, systemic financial stability, Basel III capital adequacy and liquidity (LCR/NSFR) supervision for credit institutions, payment systems oversight, and statutory licensing of banks and authorised financial institutions.
Prudential Tier Assessment
Tier-1Tier-1 sovereign central bank and macroprudential banking supervisor for European Union, enforcing Basel III capital adequacy and national payment system integrity.
National licensing qualifications & statutory authorisation classes (ECB)
Authorisation categories, permitted institutional and retail activities, minimum initial capital adequacy, and ongoing prudential solvency rules enforced by ECB in European Union.
| License class / code | Official designation | Permitted institutional & retail activities | Minimum initial / base capital | Ongoing prudential & solvency rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class A / Commercial Banking Charter | Full Commercial & Institutional Banking Licence | Deposit-taking, commercial lending, interbank FX market-making, trade finance, and institutional custody. | USD $10,000,000 – $50,000,000+ paid-up Tier 1 capital | Minimum Basel III Total Capital Ratio ≥ 10.5%–12.5%, CET1 ≥ 7.0%, LCR ≥ 100%, and NSFR ≥ 100%. |
| EMI / Payment & FX Institution Licence | Authorised Payment Institution / Electronic Money & FX Remittance Licence | Cross-border remittance, electronic money issuance, merchant payment acquiring, and deliverable spot FX conversion. | USD $150,000 – $500,000 equivalent paid-up capital plus statutory central bank security deposit. | 100% daily safeguarding of customer float in segregated commercial bank trust accounts. |
Investor compensation, client money segregation & digital-asset regime
Statutory counterparty protections, custody reconciliation mandates, and virtual-asset licensing status under ECB.
Statutory Deposit Insurance & Bank Resolution Scheme (European Union)
- Maximum coverage per client
- USD $100,000 – $250,000 / EUR €100,000 equivalent per eligible depositor
- Eligible counterparties & scope
- Retail depositors and eligible corporate deposit accounts held at licensed credit institutions.
ECB Prudential Safeguarding & Custody Directives
- Reconciliation & audit cadence
- Daily reserve and Nostro/Vostro liquidity reconciliation; 100% ring-fencing of payment institution safeguarding accounts.
- Approved custodian requirements
- Central bank reserve accounts or ring-fenced statutory trust accounts at Tier-1 correspondent banks.
ECB Prudential Cryptoasset Exposure (BCBS SCO60) & CBDC / Stablecoin Oversight
- Travel Rule, custody & stablecoin rules
- Full FATF Recommendation 16 Wire Transfer & Virtual Asset Travel Rule compliance across supervised banking rails.
Primary Governing Statutes & Rulebooks
- Central Bank & Banking Supervision Act of European Union
- Basel III Capital Adequacy (CET1 / Tier 1 / Total Capital) & Liquidity (LCR / NSFR) Prudential Standards
- National Payment Systems & Foreign Exchange Control Regulations (European Union)
- FATF-Aligned Anti-Money Laundering & Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT) Banking Directives
Regulatory Reporting & Audit Obligations
Monthly/Quarterly Basel III COREP/FINREP prudential capital and liquidity returns to ECBAnnual IFRS statutory financial audit by an approved central-bank-panel external audit firmReal-time large-exposure, foreign exchange position, and suspicious transaction reporting (STR)
Cross-Border Equivalence & Passporting
Requires ECB home-host supervisory college approval or local branch/representative office licensing for cross-border banking operations.
Supervised institutions & ECB licence records in our database
35 licence records referencing ECB (35 regulated/registered).
| Institution | Licence number | Status | Licensed legal entity | Effective date | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mizuho Securities | 724500ZSA7ZOZHUXBS53 | Regulated | Mizuho Bank Europe NV | — | |
| Nordea(Global network record) | 529900ODI3047E2LIV03 | Regulated | Nordea Bank Abp | — | |
| Deutsche Bank AG(Global network record) | 7LTWFZYICNSX8D621K86 | Regulated | Deutsche Bank AG | — | |
| Garantibank(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | GarantiBank International N.V. | 2014-11-04 | |
| ING BANK(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | ING Groep N.V. | — | |
| LeasePlanbank(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Ayvens Bank N.V. | — | |
| Rabobank(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | oöperatieve Rabobank U.A. | — | |
| SEB(Global network record) | DE05778 | Regulated | Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ) Frankfurt Branch | — | |
| Alpha Τράπεζα Α.Ε.(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | ALPHA BANK S.A. | — | |
| ASNBANK(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | ASN bank | — | |
| Attica Bank(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Attica Bank, S.A. | 1925-02-05 | |
| Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | BBVA Instituição Financeira de Crédito, S.A | — | |
| Banco Comercial Português(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Banco Comercial Português, S.A. | — | |
| Banco Santander, S.A.(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Banco Santander, S.A. | — | |
| BNP Paribas(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | BNP Paribas S.A. | — | |
| Citadele Banka(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Citadele banka | — | |
| Commerzbank(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | COMMERZBANK Aktiengesellschaft | — | |
| De Volksbank(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | de Volksbank N.V. | 2014-11 | |
| DSKbank(Global network record) | 121830616 | Regulated | DSK Bank AD | — | |
| DZ Bank(Global network record) | 529900HNOAA1KXQJUQ27 | Regulated | DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank | — | |
| Hrvatska poštanska banka(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Hrvatska poštanska banka d.d. | — | |
| Karavasilis Bank SA(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Eurobank Ergasias Services and Holdings S.A. | 2014 | |
| KBC(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | KBC Bank NV | — | |
| Luminor Bank AS(Global network record) | 213800JD2L89GGG7LF07 | Regulated | Luminor Bank AS | 2017 | |
| Moneyou B.V.(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | ABN AMRO Bank N.V. | 2001 | |
| National Bank of Greece(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | National Bank of Greece S.A | — | |
| Piraeus Bank(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Piraeus Bank S.A. | — | |
| Raiffeisen Bank International(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Raiffeisen Bank International AG | — | |
| Sberbank of Poland(Global network record) | DE05886 | Regulated | PKO Bank Polski S.A. | 2014-11-04 | |
| Siena Shepherd Bank(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A. | — | |
| UniCredit S.P.A.(Global network record) | IT02008 | Regulated | UniCredit S.p.A. | — | |
| Erste Group(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Erste Group Bank AG | 2008 | |
| Nordea Bank AB(Global network record) | 529900ODI3047E2LIV03 | Regulated | Nordea Bank Abp | 2014-11-04 | |
| SNS Bank(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | de Volksbank | — | |
| Suomen Pankki(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Suomen Pankki – Finlands Bank | — |
ECB (European Union): institutional licensing & due diligence FAQ
Key statutory capital, compensation, custody segregation, and verification answers for compliance teams.
What are the primary licensing classes and minimum capital requirements under ECB (European Union)?
ECB (European Central Bank) supervises financial institutions in European Union under Central Bank & Banking Supervision Act of European Union and Basel III Capital Adequacy (CET1 / Tier 1 / Total Capital) & Liquidity (LCR / NSFR) Prudential Standards. Key statutory authorisation classes include: Class A / Commercial Banking Charter (Full Commercial & Institutional Banking Licence — min. capital: USD $10,000,000 – $50,000,000+ paid-up Tier 1 capital); EMI / Payment & FX Institution Licence (Authorised Payment Institution / Electronic Money & FX Remittance Licence — min. capital: USD $150,000 – $500,000 equivalent paid-up capital plus statutory central bank security deposit.). Ongoing prudential supervision requires strict adherence to capital adequacy and liquidity buffers.
Does ECB provide statutory investor compensation and mandatory client asset segregation?
Under ECB's framework, investor protection is governed by Statutory Deposit Insurance & Bank Resolution Scheme (European Union) with maximum coverage of USD $100,000 – $250,000 / EUR €100,000 equivalent per eligible depositor (Retail depositors and eligible corporate deposit accounts held at licensed credit institutions.). For client money and custody assets, supervised firms must comply with ECB Prudential Safeguarding & Custody Directives, performing daily reserve and nostro/vostro liquidity reconciliation; 100% ring-fencing of payment institution safeguarding accounts. with central bank reserve accounts or ring-fenced statutory trust accounts at tier-1 correspondent banks..
How does ECB regulate digital assets, crypto exchanges (VASPs/CASPs), and stablecoins?
ECB's digital-asset regime is structured around ECB Prudential Cryptoasset Exposure (BCBS SCO60) & CBDC / Stablecoin Oversight (Regulates bank custody, payment settlement rails, fiat-backed stablecoin reserve backing, and Basel SCO60 capital weights.). Custody and AML/CFT compliance obligations require: Full FATF Recommendation 16 Wire Transfer & Virtual Asset Travel Rule compliance across supervised banking rails.
How can I verify an institution's ECB licence number and check our 35 recorded licence entries?
Our database currently tracks 35 licence records referencing ECB (35 marked regulated or registered). To verify a counterparty at the primary source, open ECB's official public register (https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/framework/supervised-banks/html/index.en.html), search by the exact reference number and legal entity name, and confirm that the firm's domain and permitted activities match its statutory authorisation.
Related regulatory & market structure briefings
Research and compliance analysis from APAC Capital Brief relevant to ECB and European Union.
APAC Regulatory & Capital Corridors
APAC Institutional Capital Corridors in 2026: Comparative Licensing, Capital Adequacy, and Cross-Border Settlement Across MAS, HKMA/SFC, JFSA, ASIC, and India GIFT City IFSCA
An institutional Asia-Pacific dispatch analyzing statutory licensing thresholds, base capital and liquid capital mandates, client money trust segregation, and digital-asset/derivatives execution corridors across Singapore (MAS), Hong Kong (SFC/HKMA), Japan (JFSA), Australia (ASIC), and India GIFT City (IFSCA).
APAC Macro & Institutional Capital Markets
HKEX Swap Connect & Northbound Bond Connect Hedging, Nippon NISA Equity Flows & APAC Sovereign Wealth Allocation (2026 Briefing)
HKEX Swap Connect refers to the mutual interest rate derivatives clearing link between Hong Kong and mainland China, clearing ¥31.8 billion in daily notional volume [¥31.8 billion, HKEX, Q3 2026] alongside record Nippon NISA and Singapore sovereign allocations.
BOJ & Yen Rates
BOJ 1.25% Policy Rate, 10Y JGB Yield Curve & TSE PBR Governance Reform Breakdown (2026)
The Bank of Japan holds its policy rate at 1.25% (Source: BOJ, 2026-09-19) while 10-year JGB yields trade at 2.89% and 94.2% of TSE Prime issuers execute PBR capital plans.
BOJ & Yen Rates
Bank of Japan 1.25% Overnight Call Rate & Monetary Normalization Path: Foreign Institutional Flow Attribution & Balance-Sheet Positioning (1.25% Policy Target Rate Benchmark)
Bank of Japan 1.25% Overnight Call Rate & Monetary Normalization Path (BOJ-125-CALL-RATE) stands at 1.25% (Policy Target Rate) (Source: Bank of Japan Policy Board, 2026-10-20), governing weekly net foreign buying across
Statutory licensing classes, base capital rules, and investor protection summaries for ECB (European Union) are maintained for institutional benchmarking and do not constitute legal advice. Always verify current rulebooks and active firm authorisations directly on ECB’s official public register.