National Supervisory Authority & Licensing Qualification Dossier • European Economic Area & Switzerland
FMA
AustriaAustrian Financial Market Authority
Source / Native Reference: 奥地利金融市场监管局
- Supervisory tier
- Tier-1
- License classes
- 2
- Licensed records
- 5
- Active / regulated
- 5
Statutory Supervisory Mandate & Scope
Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) is the Tier-1 statutory financial markets and securities supervisory authority in Austria. It grants and supervises financial services licences across broker-dealers, investment advisers, asset managers, and market operators, enforcing initial and ongoing prudential capital requirements, segregated client asset rules, market conduct standards, and public register disclosures.
Prudential Tier Assessment
Tier-1Tier-1 national capital markets, securities, and derivatives supervisory authority in Austria, IOSCO member standards-aligned.
National licensing qualifications & statutory authorisation classes (FMA)
Authorisation categories, permitted institutional and retail activities, minimum initial capital adequacy, and ongoing prudential solvency rules enforced by FMA in Austria.
| License class / code | Official designation | Permitted institutional & retail activities | Minimum initial / base capital | Ongoing prudential & solvency rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 / Principal Broker-Dealer | Full-Scope Securities & Derivatives Dealer (Market Maker / Principal) | Dealing as principal or market maker in securities, FX, CFDs, futures, options, and underwriting. | USD $500,000 – $1,000,000+ (or EUR €750,000) minimum regulatory capital | Risk-weighted capital adequacy + minimum liquid capital buffer ≥ 25% of annual fixed overheads. |
| Category 2 / Agency Broker & Asset Manager | Securities Brokerage (Agency / STP) & Discretionary Portfolio Management Licence | Order execution, reception and transmission of client orders, discretionary portfolio management, and investment advisory. | USD $150,000 – $250,000 (or EUR €150,000) minimum base capital | Strict client money segregation, best-execution monitoring, and quarterly regulatory financial returns. |
Investor compensation, client money segregation & digital-asset regime
Statutory counterparty protections, custody reconciliation mandates, and virtual-asset licensing status under FMA.
National Investor Protection / Compensation Scheme (Austria)
- Maximum coverage per client
- EUR €20,000 – USD $100,000+ equivalent per eligible retail investor
- Eligible counterparties & scope
- Retail clients of licensed securities and investment brokerage firms.
FMA Client Money & Safe Custody Segregation Rules
- Reconciliation & audit cadence
- Daily reconciliation of segregated client trust bank accounts against client trading ledger balances.
- Approved custodian requirements
- Client funds and securities must be held in bankruptcy-remote statutory trust accounts at licensed commercial banks or central securities depositories.
FMA Digital Asset / Tokenized Securities & VASP Regulatory Framework
- Travel Rule, custody & stablecoin rules
- FATF Recommendation 16 Travel Rule enforcement and institutional qualified custody standards.
Primary Governing Statutes & Rulebooks
- Securities and Capital Markets Act of Austria
- FMA Licensing, Prudential Capital Adequacy & Conduct of Business Rules
- Client Money & Custody Asset Segregation Regulations (Austria)
- IOSCO Principles of Securities Regulation & National AML/CFT Rulebook
Regulatory Reporting & Audit Obligations
Quarterly capital adequacy returns and annual IFRS audited financial statements submitted to FMAAnnual independent auditor attestation on Client Money and Safe Custody complianceTransaction reporting, market abuse surveillance (MAR), and AML/CFT suspicious activity reporting
Cross-Border Equivalence & Passporting
Eligible for EU/EEA MiFID II and MiCA cross-border freedom-of-services passporting across 30 EEA member states.
Supervised institutions & FMA licence records in our database
5 licence records referencing FMA (5 regulated/registered).
| Institution | Licence number | Status | Licensed legal entity | Effective date | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitpanda | FN 501412 x | Regulated | Bitpanda Payments GmbH | 2019 | |
| Bitpanda | FN 569240 v | Registered | Bitpanda GmbH | 2024 | |
| Bitpanda | FN 551181 k | Regulated | Bitpanda Financial Services GmbH | 2024 | |
| bybit | Not supplied | Registered | Bybit Fintech Limited | 2025-05-30 | |
| Raiffeisen Bank International | 122119m | Regulated | Raiffeisen Bank International AG | — |
FMA (Austria): 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 FMA (Austria)?
FMA (Austrian Financial Market Authority) supervises financial institutions in Austria under Securities and Capital Markets Act of Austria and FMA Licensing, Prudential Capital Adequacy & Conduct of Business Rules. Key statutory authorisation classes include: Category 1 / Principal Broker-Dealer (Full-Scope Securities & Derivatives Dealer (Market Maker / Principal) — min. capital: USD $500,000 – $1,000,000+ (or EUR €750,000) minimum regulatory capital); Category 2 / Agency Broker & Asset Manager (Securities Brokerage (Agency / STP) & Discretionary Portfolio Management Licence — min. capital: USD $150,000 – $250,000 (or EUR €150,000) minimum base capital). Ongoing prudential supervision requires strict adherence to capital adequacy and liquidity buffers.
Does FMA provide statutory investor compensation and mandatory client asset segregation?
Under FMA's framework, investor protection is governed by National Investor Protection / Compensation Scheme (Austria) with maximum coverage of EUR €20,000 – USD $100,000+ equivalent per eligible retail investor (Retail clients of licensed securities and investment brokerage firms.). For client money and custody assets, supervised firms must comply with FMA Client Money & Safe Custody Segregation Rules, performing daily reconciliation of segregated client trust bank accounts against client trading ledger balances. with client funds and securities must be held in bankruptcy-remote statutory trust accounts at licensed commercial banks or central securities depositories..
How does FMA regulate digital assets, crypto exchanges (VASPs/CASPs), and stablecoins?
FMA's digital-asset regime is structured around FMA Digital Asset / Tokenized Securities & VASP Regulatory Framework (Unified EU MiCA (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) CASP licensing and DLT Pilot Regime.). Custody and AML/CFT compliance obligations require: FATF Recommendation 16 Travel Rule enforcement and institutional qualified custody standards.
How can I verify an institution's FMA licence number and check our 5 recorded licence entries?
Our database currently tracks 5 licence records referencing FMA (5 marked regulated or registered). To verify a counterparty at the primary source, open FMA's official public register (https://www.fma.gv.at/), search by the exact reference number and legal entity name, and confirm that the firm's domain and permitted activities match its statutory authorisation.
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Statutory licensing classes, base capital rules, and investor protection summaries for FMA (Austria) are maintained for institutional benchmarking and do not constitute legal advice. Always verify current rulebooks and active firm authorisations directly on FMA’s official public register.