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MICA LICENSING FOR SELF-STARTERS

This package offers step-by-step guidance and a complete set of documents and templates for existing VASPs in Europe to apply for MICA license  – efficiently and on a budget!

This package is a comprehensive implementation blueprint including everything you need to apply for MICA license, and thereafter set up and manage compliance function within your  crypto startup.

You will get instant access to the license application package with policy templates (updated for 2025), SOPs, T&Cs, checklists, policy examples, and even a sample license application document to save you valuable time and help you focus on growing your business, building the team and keeping your regulators, partners and customers happy. This package also includes access to future updates for all policies and trainings.

If your FinTech startup plans to apply for (or got stuck with) a MICA license and you don't have the resources to hire a large team, your product is not quite ready and financial partnerships negotiations are still in progress - this offer is perfect for you! 

Did you know that FinTech licensing success rarely depends on huge budgets?

Why is it that very few FinTech startups keep growing, and securing licenses and partnerships… while most other startups struggle and run out of money? 

They all operate in the same environment, get almost the same level of seed investments, graduate from the same incubators, are subject to similar regulations, and face the same competition... What is it that those successful few FinTech have figured out?

Look around – how often have we seen exceptional all-star teams with comfortable funding buffers, great networks to leverage, supported by leading consultants, hiring top engineering talent, announcing major partnerships with banks… They publicly celebrated the launches of their projects only to see that their licensing processes took 18-24 months and cost $20+ million.

Look at how many years Revolut was waiting for their banking license, look at the Libra project not being able to figure out their regulatory situation since the summer of 2019 and finally dropping the project entirely... Just to name a few…

SO MANY THINGS CAN GO WRONG AND CAUSE DELAYS

It is an unfortunate truth about financial startups: the regulatory barrier to enter is high and you need to have many things in place (people, technology, partnerships, documentation, license approvals...) before you are even allowed to start. If you don’t manage your resources carefully, you risk running out of money. Don't believe anyone who promises fast results or accelerated approvals, even if they are regulators or former regulators. Responsible professionals will never promise you specific approval timelines. 

You will likely not be able to control the timing of the review, but it is your job to control the budget allocation and make sure you have sufficient runway,  and do not overspend on things that don't matter.

I’ve never seen a successful license application where everything was ready. There are always trade-offs and compromises and missing things but if you have not gone through this process before, you would not necessarily be able to guess, what’s important and what’s less critical.
 
 WHAT IS INSIDE OF THE PACKAGE:

Trainings and Workshops (pre-recorded and instantly available):

How to DIY your MICA Application Training

  • Pre-application. What do you need to have in place before you apply in terms of people, tech, and documentation.
  • Application and Post-Application. We talk specifically about key reasons why so many applications are stumbling in the beginning and how to avoid it. We share experiences on how to conduct regulatory negotiations and how to know you are on track. 
  • Most controversial issues and how to address them:
    • what you can re-use vs what needs to be established when you "upgrade" from VASP to  MICA licensing;
    • errors and misinterpretations about crypto funds safeguarding, clients funds and reserves policy;
    • preparing disclosures and assessments for the tokens your platform supports;
    • your relationships with DeFi projects and how to differentiate DeFi vs CeFi and relationships with DAOs;
    • how to deploy staking solutions;

    • templates available within the package and how to use them.

FinTech Licensing Planning Training

  • Jurisdiction choice
  • Pre-application phase
  • Application phase
  • Post-application and passporting

MICA Requirements Workshop

  • Scope of MICA
  • Exclusions
  • DAOs and DeFi  status
  • Cross-border services
  • Preparing disclosures for issuing tokens and listing 3rd party tokens (MICA-compliance Token Listing Policy template included)

End-to-end Crypto Compliance Training

  • Stablecoins and staking 
  • Insider trading, trade integrity, best execution, conflict of interest provisions
  • Clients' funds' segregation, own capital requirements, and token valuation
  • Token assessment and token listings
  • Product bundling, price transparency, own token compliance
  • Fraud management,
  • Information Security risks
  • Customer rights
  • AML/CFT 

Complying with Apple and Google Appstore Guidelines for crypto startups

  • Appstore Guidelines.
  • Importance on in-app purchases (Apple).
  • Recent changes in Google Play Guidelines on Crypto and importance of data collection by personal loans companies (Google)
  • How to explain reverse solicitation principle?
  • What if your country does not have a licensing regime requirements for crypto?
  • What if you work with a white label solution and do not actually touch crypto assets?
  • What if you have a VASP license, but not for all countries where your services are offered?
  • What about intra-EU free movement of goods and services?
  • What if the legal opinion you provided to Apple is insufficient? 
  • Sample responses included into the  downloadable workbook.

Templates (updated for 2025):

  • FinTech Licensing - including License Application Template, financial projections template, business plan template, FinTech licensing roadmap, first regulatory inquiry template
  • AML, KYC, PEPs, sanctions policies and SOPs, onboarding flow setup guide (including policies, tools review, and guidance on admin and case management setup)
  • Privacy and GDPR module, including privacy policy, GDPR compliance policy, binding corporate rules, and standard contractual closes or Data Transfer Appendix template (to be included in all your contracts with vendors and payments partners where data transfer is involved). Digital Services Act implementation guide.
  • Outsourcing framework setup, including outsourcing policy template and outsourcing assessment checklist
  • Consumer and Investor Protection, including Customer Protection and Complaints Handling Policy, Investor Protection Policy, and Customer Funds Safeguarding Procedure (for fiat and crypto services)
  • Information Security, including InfoSec policy, incident management, and business continuity policy
  • Blockchain-specific regulations, including Blockchain Operational compliance policy 
  • Corporate Governance and Board of Directors set up, Code of Conduct, Segregation of Duties guidance, Anti-Bribery and Corruption procedure, and other relevant templates (e.g. gift policy, HR screening, etc.)
  • Business-wide risk assessment and product risk assessment (with dedicated sections for AML, Product, VASPs, General Risks, Financial Risks, Startup Risks, and Regulatory Risks)
  • Risk Management, Assessment, and Fraud Prevention, including relevant Risk Management policy and Risk Assessment and Risk Assessment methodology templates
  • Conflict of Interests and Insider Trading Policy
  • Terms of Service, Affiliation and Loyalty Programs structuring (including sample language for loyalty points or reward programs, beta testing provisions, and affiliation program templates)
  • Inter-Company Agreements and SLAs
  • Detailed and comprehensive Annual Compliance Plan and sample Internal Audit Plan. Compliance Assurance Framework (roles of FLOD, SLOD, audit)
  • Token listing and token assessment criteria (for cryptocurrency exchanges or wallets).
  • DORA-compliant disclosures
  • FATCA and CRS compliance policy

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Please note that this offer is non-refundable as soon as you access the content.

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Why this works: In the last several years, Yana Afanasieva and Competitive Compliance have successfully completed 20+ FinTech, EMI, PSP, MSB license applications in multiple jurisdictions and will share with you first-hand experience about how long it takes, and what the differences and similarities between countries, local requirements, and regulatory expectations are.

Logistics: After you have made the payment, you will be granted access to the password-protected area of the course portal where all recorded content and templates will be delivered to you. You will be prompted to create your login and password which you will need to access the program recordings at any time in the future. The schedule will be communicated over email.

 

Questions? – [email protected]

Terms of Service

 

What current students, past clients & alumni say:

We are extremely grateful to Yana for efficiently driving our VASP and EMI applications to successful approvals. Her pragmatic approach, broad experience and superb diplomatic skills allowed us to plan hiring, make relevant product decisions and commercial commitments when the timing was right, so that we did not overcommit ourselves too soon and used our budgets and engineering resources wisely. I can highly recommend her to any FinTech or crypto company applying for FinTech or crypto authorizations.

Jakob F. Kleinsasser – General Manager • CryptoPay

Yana has been an invaluable support in providing feedback and practical solutions to queries I have had relating to new or old regulations. Yana not only provides clarity but also rich templates that can be easily adapted and incorporated into new or existing governance processes. Yana's experience ensure these solutions are operational to add value to any business or fintech solution. - ​Pat Patterson (Soldo)

Pat Patterson – Director, Compliance • Tilia (Ireland & Europe)

​I find materials and courses by Yana Afanasieva very inspiring, insights she shares help me find effective solutions in my everyday routine. Moreover, I have changed my attitude, and draft documents, reports, answer requests from another perspective, as a result - me and my colleagues think positive, meet challenges of business requests with due responsibility, but overall set of measures aims to ensure simplification of processes. Anna Lind - D2

Anna Lind – Legal Counsel | Compliance Specialist (ICA) • Communicator Groupe, LLC

All information is professionally aggregated, filtered and presented - Competitive Compliance is a real timesaver for FinTech companiesuilding and enhancing our policies and procedures.Thank you, Yana, for sharing your experience and expertise! - Iaroslav Kovshikov, SnapSwap

Iaroslav Kovshikov – Operations Officer / IT Security Officer / Board Secretary • SnapSwap International S.A.

Yana has incredible depth of knowledge on the compliance and regulatory needs in the Fintech and Crypto space across the UK and Europe. She has provided the highest level of insight and been very proactive to help us achieve our company goals.

Elizabeth Rossiello – Founder & CEO • AZA/BitPesa

I’ve got so much to share about Yana and her impact on my professional journey! About a year ago, I randomly stumbled upon Yana's podcast just by searching ‘compliance’ in Spotify, and I got hooked instantly. I couldn't wait for the next episode each week; it was like a revelation to me. I come from a legal background, and my mindset was all about being conservative, risk-averse, and disconnected from the business. But then Yana's podcast changed everything. I was shocked when I first heard that compliance should genuinely care about the business, understand marketing, care about conversions. It hit me like a lightning bolt - "Wait, aren't we the second line of defense, independent from the business and guarding company from the risk?" It took me a little time to realize that I had been wrong all along, even with my four CAMS certificates feeling useless and like a waste of money (despite some companies still requiring them!). Before long, I discovered Yana's concept of 'business-like and just in time compliance,' and it was like magic. Suddenly, compliance was being heard, invited to important meetings, and kept in the loop about product changes way ahead of time. We became trusted partners to the business, no longer just the department of 'NO.' It's crazy to think about how far we've come. From a company in its 'age of innocence,' with undocumented growth, to a compliance function that's now a 'leverage' for the company. We're securing crucial partnerships, opening bank accounts, obtaining licenses and authorizations, and acing audits. Yana's guidance has been invaluable. I wholeheartedly recommend her products, especially the Compliance Collective. They have been one of the absolute best investments in my professional career. Yana rocks!

Anastasiia Vasylieva – Full-Stack Compliance CAMS • Robocash

It’s rare that you come across standout talent like Yana. I had the pleasure of working with her for nearly three years at BitPesa (now AZA) and Founders Bank collectively, we often collaborate closely on FinTech projects with heavy compliance requirements. I am always impressed by Yana's ability to bridge the gap between scalable technical solutions and solid compliance leadership and guidance—effortlessly. That skill often takes years to develop, but it seemed to come perfectly naturally. I always enjoy working with Yana, as a team member or a leader, Yana earns my highest recommendation.

Dearg O'Bartuin – Co-Founder & CTPO • Mara