Authorisation

The Central Bank is the competent authority in Ireland for the authorisation of financial services firms. Authorisation is an important part of the overall supervisory framework.
The Central Bank is committed to providing a clear, open and transparent authorisation process while ensuring a rigorous assessment of the applicable regulatory standards. To support this, on a semi-annual basis, the Central Bank publishes a Regulatory Service Standards Performance Report. Read the most recent report below.
Regulatory Service Standards Performance Report H1 2023 | pdf 902 KB
These service standards are designed to inform stakeholders with regard to the length of time certain regulatory processes will take.
Who We Authorise
Learn about the authorisation/approval process for individual sectors.
Central Securities Depositories
Credit Serving Firms
Credit Institutions
Insurance / Reinsurance Undertakings
Retail Intermediaries, Money Lenders and Debt Management Firms
Payment Firms, Electronic Money Firms, Bureaux de Change and Money Transmission Firms
Investment Funds and Fund Service Providers
Investment Firms
Regulated Disclosures - Prospectus Approval
Trust or Company Service Providers
Fitness and Probity PCF