Authorisation

What We Do

The Central Bank of Ireland is the competent authority in Ireland for the authorisation of the majority of financial services firms and products. The Central Bank is committed to providing a clear, open and transparent authorisation process while ensuring a rigorous assessment of the applicable regulatory standards. Where the term Authorisation is used, this can also be interpreted as approval in relation to disclosure requirements or registrations.

Our Approach

Authorisation is an important part of our supervisory framework. It requires us to assess firms’ proposals and products against applicable regulatory standards and legal requirements and to ensure that any firm or product authorised demonstrates that it has met and will continue to meet those standards and requirements.

Authorisation and Gatekeeping Report

The Central Bank of Ireland published its inaugural Authorisation and Gatekeeping Report in June 2024 for the year 2023. This report which is published annually aims to provide increased transparency and clarity regarding our own performance with respect to authorisations and our expectations from applicants.  The 2024 full-year report is now available below;

Regulatory Service Standards Performance Report

The Authorisation and Gatekeeping Report comprises the previous Regulatory and Service Standards Performance Report for 2024.

Cross Sectoral Guidance on Authorisation Expectations 

Cross sectoral guidance on expectations for applicants seeking authorisation is available below. 

This guidance expands on existing guidance published on our website and provides further detail on how the Central Bank discharges its authorisation mandate. This guidance seeks to increase the transparency of the authorisation process for firms seeking to be authorised and regulated by the Central Bank and to support firms in understanding our high-level requirements and expectations of applicants. Applicant firms should read this guidance alongside the specific information for their type of firm or business model.

Authorisation Process for Individual Sectors

Use the links below to learn about the authorisation approval process for individual sectors.

Central Securities Depositories

• Central Securities Depositories

Credit Serving Firms

• Credit Servicing Firms

Credit Institutions

• Credit Institutions
• Third Country Branches

Insurance / Reinsurance Undertakings

• Insurance Undertakings

Retail Intermediaries, Money Lenders and Debt Management Firms

• Retail Intermediaries
• High Cost Credit Providers
• Debt Management Firms

Payment Institutions, Electronic Money Institutions, Account Information Service Providers, Bureaux de Change and Money Transmission Businesses

• Payment Institutions
• Account Information Service Providers
• Electronic Money Institutions
• Small Electronic Money Institutions
• Money Transmission Businesses
• Bureaux de Change

Investment Funds and Fund Service Providers

• UCITS Investment Funds
• Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs)
• UCITS Management Companies
• Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFMs)
• AIF Management Companies
• Fund Administrators
• Fund Depositories
• Self-Managed Investment Companies
• Internally Managed AIFs
• Investment Managers

Investment Firms

• Investment Firms

Regulated Disclosures - Prospectus Approval

• Prospectuses under the Prospectus Regulations

Trust or Company Service Providers

• Trust or Company Service Providers

Fitness and Probity PCF

• Fitness and Probity applications