15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right licence scope and leads the file all the way to the CNPF's decision, including banking and payment rails.
Get an investment license in Moldova.
One authority, three categories, and a printed clock. The Comisia Națională a Pieței Financiare - the CNPF, not the central bank - licenses the societate de investiții under Legea 171/2012 privind piața de capital in categories A, B and C keyed to art. 33: order handling, portfolio management and advice in A, placement and custody added in B, own-account dealing and underwriting in C. Regulation HCNPF 56/11/2014 gives the CNPF at most six months to decide, asks for an office of at least 30 m² and a CNPF qualification certificate for every manager. Art. 38 of the law sets the initial capital per category in lei. Corporate tax is 12%, dividends carry 6%, securities services sit outside the 20% VAT, and no passport exists until EU accession.
Updated
The CNPF's three categories, a six-month clock and a 12% rate.
Moldova licenses investment firms under Legea nr. 171 din 11.07.2012 privind piața de capital, in force in the main since 14 September 2013 and built on MiFID I. The licensing authority is the Comisia Națională a Pieței Financiare, the CNPF - and it still is. On 1 July 2023 the Banca Națională a Moldovei took over only insurance, non-bank credit, savings-and-loan associations and credit bureaus; the BNM's own explainer of 24 September 2024 says a provider of investment services must hold the act permisiv issued by the CNPF. Art. 6 defines the societate de investiții as a legal person providing investment services professionally. The licence comes in three categories under pt. 28 of Regulation HCNPF 56/11 of 14.11.2014, keyed to art. 33: category A for reception and transmission, execution, portfolio management and advice; category B adding placement without firm commitment and custody; category C for every service in art. 33(1) and (2), own-account dealing and underwriting included.
The capital comes first: art. 38 sets it per category in lei, and your quote carries the figure for your category. The clock is printed - pt. 6 of the 2014 regulation gives the CNPF cel mult 6 luni, at most six months, to decide. Managers file a CV, a criminal-record certificate and a CNPF qualification certificate under pt. 39; the office must measure at least 30 m² under pt. 30. The Fondul de compensare a investitorilor covers 6,000 lei per client, with a 2022 Ministry of Finance draft to lift it to EUR 1,000 in lei. Corporate tax is 12% under art. 15 lit. b) of the Codul fiscal; dividends carry 6% under art. 90¹ and, for non-residents, art. 91(1); VAT is 20% under art. 96 lit. a), with securities trading, intermediation and custody exempt under art. 103(1) pct. 12. A June 2026 draft would fold the three categories into one MiFID II authorisation. We build from Chișinău.
One authority, three categories: the CNPF licenses the societate de investiții under Legea 171/2012 in categories A, B and C keyed to art. 33 - at most six months to decide under HCNPF 56/11/2014 pt. 6, an office of 30 m², managers with CNPF certificates, art. 38 capital per category; no passport.
12% corporate tax, 6% withholding on dividends, 20% VAT with securities services exempt; a MiFID II law in draft since June 2026. The BNM took only insurance and credit in 2023 - the file still goes to the CNPF. Built end to end from Chișinău.
The category A firm - or the category C house.
One licence, three categories under pt. 28 of Regulation HCNPF 56/11/2014: A for order handling, portfolio management and advice, B adding placement without firm commitment and custody, C for every service in art. 33 including own-account dealing and underwriting. We fix the category first, then build once - to the art. 38 capital for that category.
The category A firm - or the full-scope category C house.
The order-handling and advisory firm
The category A licence covers the services of art. 33(1) lit. a), b), d) and e) with the ancillary services of art. 33(2) lit. c) and e): reception and transmission of orders, execution, portfolio management and investment advice - no dealing on own account, no firm-commitment underwriting, no custody. The CNPF decides within cel mult 6 luni under pt. 6; the art. 38 capital for the category is confirmed before filing.
The category A licence covers the services of art. 33(1) lit. a), b), d) and e) with the ancillary services of art. 33(2) lit. c) and e): reception and transmission of orders, execution, portfolio management and investment advice - no dealing on own account, no firm-commitment underwriting, no custody. The CNPF decides within cel mult 6 luni under pt. 6; the art. 38 capital for the category is confirmed before filing.
- ✓Art. 33(1) a), b), d), e) · 33(2) c), e)
- ✓RTO, execution, portfolio management, advice
- ✓No own-account dealing, no firm-commitment underwriting
- ✓Office of at least 30 m² (pt. 30)
- ✓Managers with CNPF qualification certificates (pt. 39)
- ✓Decision within cel mult 6 luni (pt. 6)
The dealing and underwriting house
Category C is toate serviciile şi activităţile of art. 33(1) and (2): everything in A and B plus dealing on own account and underwriting with firm commitment, and the right under pt. 38 to operate as a societate de administrare fiduciară a investițiilor. Category B sits between - A plus placement without firm commitment and custody under art. 33(1) lit. g) and 33(2) lit. a) and d) - and B or C is the tier a fund business needs.
Category C is every service of art. 33(1) and (2) - own-account dealing and firm-commitment underwriting included - with B in between adding placement and custody; B or C may run a societate de administrare fiduciară.
- ✓Every service of art. 33(1) and (2)
- ✓Own-account dealing and firm-commitment underwriting
- ✓Category B: + placement without firm commitment, custody
- ✓Societate de administrare fiduciară from B upward (pt. 38)
- ✓Art. 41 (Legea 177/2025): no binary options or leveraged derivatives to retail
- ✓Fondul de compensare membership - 6,000 lei per client
Costs and timelines are confirmed for your case before any work begins: the licence fee from the CNPF's 2026 schedule (HCNPF 52/1 of 31.10.2025) and the art. 38 capital for your category, both itemised in the quote with their source.
A printed six-month clock, a 12% rate, and a regulator people misname.
Moldova sells a short statute, a printed clock and a 12% rate - and the CNPF publishes no licensee count.
On 1 July 2023 the Banca Națională a Moldovei took over insurance, non-bank credit, savings-and-loan associations and credit bureaus from the CNPF - nothing on the capital market. The BNM's own explainer of 24 September 2024 says investment services need the CNPF's act permisiv. The file goes to the CNPF.The 2023 handover skipped it.
Pt. 28 of Regulation HCNPF 56/11/2014 keys A, B and C to the services of art. 33: an order-handling or advisory house is licensed as category A and never priced as a dealer; placement and custody arrive with B; own-account dealing and firm-commitment underwriting sit in C alone.Keyed to art. 33.
Pt. 6 of the 2014 regulation gives the CNPF cel mult 6 luni - at most six months from the application - the same outer wall Romania prints in art. 16(1) of Legea 126/2018. The CNPF publishes no processing statistics, so six months is the date we plan to.Pt. 6, printed.
Pt. 30 sub-pt. 2 asks for an office of at least 30 m²; pt. 39 asks each manager for a CNPF qualification certificate, a criminal-record certificate, a CV and a declaration of every direct and indirect shareholding - a checklist a two-person founding team can meet.Pt. 30 office, pt. 39 managers.
Impozit pe venit of 12% under art. 15 lit. b) of the Codul fiscal, 6% withholding on dividends under art. 90¹ and art. 91(1), and VAT at 20% from which securities trading, intermediation and custody are exempt under art. 103(1) pct. 12 - the lowest corporate rate of the four countries compared below.Securities services outside VAT.
The Ministry of Finance's explanatory note of 25 June 2026 describes a draft Legea privind piețele instrumentelor financiare și activitățile de investiții: one authorisation instead of three categories, entry into force six months after publication, passporting only on EU accession, capital set by a separate prudential law. Draft, not law - we file under Legea 171/2012.June 2026, not yet law.
How Moldova differs from other routes.
The honest comparison: a printed clock, 12% and art. 38 capital per category, with no passport - against Romania's printed euro tiers, Ukraine's printed hryvnia tiers and Albania's three-month statute.
| Feature | Moldova | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | Legea 171/2012 · HCNPF 56/11/2014 - CNPF | Legea 126/2018 Romania · Law 738-IX Ukraine · Law 62/2020 Albania |
| Capital | Art. 38 · by category | €75k / €150k / €750k Romania · UAH 1.5M / 4M / 22M Ukraine · ALL 6.5M / 16.25M / 95M Albania |
| Scope | Domestic market · passport only on EU accession | 30 EEA states Romania · none Ukraine, Albania |
| Timeline | Cel mult 6 luni (pt. 6) | Romania 6 months (art. 16(1)) · Ukraine: not published · Albania 3 months (art. 14(5)) |
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
Moldova | Societate de investiții A / B / C - CNPF | 12% CIT · 6% dividend WHT · VAT 20%, securities exempt | Art. 33 categories, art. 38 capital per category, office 30 m², 6-month clock |
Romania | S.S.I.F. - ASF | 16% CIT · no micro regime | Art. 12 Law 236/2022 €75k-€750k, FCI €20,000, 6 months |
Ukraine | Investment firm - NSSMC | 18% CIT (art. 136.1) | UAH 1.5M-22M, premises 20 sq m, AMC UAH 7M |
Albania | Shoqëri komisionere - AMF | 15% CIT · 8% dividend WHT | Law 62/2020 art. 17 ALL 6.5M-95M, 3-month clock |
Moldova
Romania
Ukraine
AlbaniaRequirements for the Moldovan licence.Requirements for the licence.
The CNPF reviews the file under Regulation HCNPF 56/11 of 14.11.2014, consolidated with HCNPF 11/8 of 2016, and decides within cel mult 6 luni under pt. 6. The checklist below is what a complete application contains.
Reflects Legea 171/2012 as amended to Legea 177/2025 and Regulation HCNPF 56/11/2014 as of 2026; the draft MiFID II law of June 2026 is not yet in force.Legea 171/2012 + HCNPF 56/11/2014, as of 2026.
From first call to the CNPF's act permisiv.
A, B or C fixed against art. 33(1) and (2) in writing - and the art. 38 capital for the category fixed before any money moves.Fixed before money moves.
Moldovan legal person, an office of at least 30 m², managers holding CNPF qualification certificates and clean criminal-record certificates under pt. 39.30 m², certificates.
The HCNPF 56/11/2014 file - complete at filing, so the six-month clock runs once.Complete; clock runs once.
Cel mult 6 luni under pt. 6; the CNPF publishes no processing statistics, so we plan to the outer wall.Six months, pt. 6.
Licence issued, compensation-fund membership, auditors under HCNPF 54/6/2018, reporting under HCNPF 38/5/2015 - live.Fund, audit, reporting live.
Pt. 6 gives the CNPF at most six months, and the CNPF publishes no statistics on how much of it is used; art. 38 sets the capital in lei per category. The honest plan is six months, with the art. 38 capital paid in on day one.
Run from our Chișinău office.

Moldovan legal person, the category fixed against art. 33 and the art. 38 capital for that category quoted - before any lei move.Capital fixed first.
The HCNPF 56/11/2014 application with the pt. 39 manager documents and the pt. 30 premises - drafted in Romanian and defended through the CNPF's questions.To HCNPF 56/11/2014.
CNPF qualification certificates, criminal-record extracts and shareholding declarations assembled for each manager under pt. 39.Pt. 39 documents.
Act permisiv issued, compensation-fund membership, CNPF-accepted auditors under HCNPF 54/6/2018 appointed, reporting under HCNPF 38/5/2015 live - with our Prague office behind the Chișinău desk.Prague behind Chișinău.







Taxation of investment firms in Moldova.
12% on profit, 6% on dividends, 20% VAT that securities services do not carry - and a CNPF fee schedule beside them.
Art. 15 lit. b) of the Codul fiscal nr. 1163/1997: 12% for legal persons - the rate in force after the income-tax and VAT amendments the Ministry of Finance summarised on 3 February 2026.Art. 15 lit. b).
Art. 90¹(3¹): a final withholding of 6% on dividends, 15% where the profits are undistributed earnings of 2008-2011. Art. 91(1): 6% on dividends and 12% on other payments to non-residents - interest, royalties, services - with treaty relief on a residence certificate.Art. 90¹; art. 91(1).
The standard rate is 20% under art. 96 lit. a), the reduced rate 8% under lit. b). Art. 103(1) pct. 12 exempts financial operations without right of deduction: lit. d) issuance, trading and intermediation in securities, lit. b) custody - so brokerage and custody fees carry no VAT and recover none.Securities exempt, art. 103.
Plăți regulatorii under Legea 192/1998 on the CNPF, and the licence fee in the 2026 schedule HCNPF 52/1 of 31.10.2025 - both itemised in the quote.Per 2026 schedule.
The Fondul de compensare a investitorilor is financed by investment firms; the ceiling in the law is 6,000 lei per client, and a 2022 Ministry of Finance draft proposed the lei equivalent of EUR 1,000. The contribution rate is confirmed for your file.6,000 lei cover.
The June 2026 draft MiFID II law sends initial capital to a separate Legea privind supravegherea prudențială - a second draft to read before any capital plan is fixed beyond the current law.Capital moves there.
*Figures as of 2026 per the Codul fiscal and the SFS. Group and founder-level outcomes are modelled per structure.
Experienced lawyers and international consultants.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the application file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
Builds the application itself: Moldovan company, AML/KYC policy pack, capital structure and tax registrations. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a live, licensed firm.
Active across our channels.
Launch your investment firm in Moldova with expert support.
Full-service assistance - from the Moldovan company and the HCNPF 56/11/2014 file to the CNPF's act permisiv, manager certificates and ongoing reporting - run through our Chișinău office.
Get a consultation →Is Moldova the right fit for your project?
Our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.
The Moldovan investment licence, answered.
Who licenses an investment firm in Moldova - the CNPF or the BNM?+
The CNPF. On 1 July 2023 the Banca Națională a Moldovei took over from the CNPF only insurance, non-bank credit, savings-and-loan associations and credit bureaus. The BNM's explainer of 24 September 2024 says investment-service providers must hold the act permisiv issued by the CNPF, and the June 2026 draft MiFID II law names the CNPF as competent authority.
What are categories A, B and C?+
Pt. 28 of Regulation HCNPF 56/11/2014 keys them to art. 33 of Legea 171/2012: A covers reception and transmission, execution, portfolio management and advice; B adds placement without firm commitment and custody; C is every service in art. 33(1) and (2), own-account dealing and underwriting included. Only B or C may operate as a societate de administrare fiduciară.
What capital does the licence need?+
Art. 38 of Legea 171/2012 sets it per category in lei, and pt. 37 sub-pt. 11 of the regulation points to it. We confirm the current figure for your category with the CNPF before you commit funds, and the quote carries it alongside the licence fee under HCNPF 52/1 of 31.10.2025.
How long does the CNPF take?+
Cel mult 6 luni - at most six months from the application under pt. 6 of Regulation HCNPF 56/11/2014, the same outer wall Romania prints in art. 16(1) of Legea 126/2018. The CNPF publishes no processing statistics, so we plan to the six months.
What do the managers and the office need?+
Each manager files a detailed CV, a criminal-record certificate, a CNPF qualification certificate and a declaration of all direct and indirect shareholdings under pt. 39 of the regulation and art. 39 of the law; the premises must measure at least 30 m² under pt. 30 sub-pt. 2.
Is there an investor compensation fund?+
Yes - the Fondul de compensare a investitorilor under Legea 171/2012, financed by investment firms. The ceiling in the law is 6,000 lei per client; a 2022 Ministry of Finance draft proposed the lei equivalent of EUR 1,000, and the ceiling in force on filing day goes into your quote.
Does the licence passport into the EU?+
No. Moldova is outside the EU and Legea 171/2012 carries no passport. The draft MiFID II law of June 2026 contains passporting provisions that would enter into force only upon Moldova's EU accession. The licence serves a domestic market of 2,365.6 thousand people on the BNS preliminary count of 1 January 2026.
How are Moldovan investment firms taxed?+
12% impozit pe venit under art. 15 lit. b) of the Codul fiscal, 6% final withholding on dividends under art. 90¹(3¹) and, for non-residents, 6% on dividends and 12% on other payments under art. 91(1). VAT is 20% under art. 96 lit. a), but securities trading, intermediation and custody are exempt without deduction under art. 103(1) pct. 12.
Moldova or Romania for a new firm?+
Romania prints its capital - €75,000, €150,000 or €750,000 in lei under art. 12 of Legea 236/2022 - passports into 30 EEA states, pays €20,000 through the FCI and taxes at 16%. Moldova taxes at 12%, sets capital per category in art. 38, and reaches no other market. Bucharest for the passport. Chișinău for a domestic book at 12%.
Why Prifinance for Moldova?+
A Chișinău office with our Prague office behind it, a Romanian-language file built to Regulation HCNPF 56/11/2014 with the art. 38 capital for your category settled before drafting, and manager certificates assembled under pt. 39. Compensation-fund membership, auditors and reporting run as part of launch.
CNPF or BNM?+
CNPF - still.
Categories?+
A, B, C by art. 33.
Capital?+
Art. 38, per category.
How long?+
Six months, pt. 6.
Managers?+
CNPF certificates, 30 m².
Compensation?+
6,000 lei ceiling.
Passport?+
Only on accession.
Taxes?+
12%; 6%; VAT-exempt services.
Or Romania?+
Passport vs 12%.
Why you?+
Chișinău desk, Prague behind it.
Founders who wanted it done right.
“As a software development crew at FewMoreTaps OÜ, we've had the pleasure of working with Prifinance on some key financial moves.First of all, navigating the world of corporate banking and finance can be a maze, but Prifinance made it feel like a walk in the park. They helped us set up a corporate bank account without the hassle of jumping on a plane or drowning in paperwork. Everything was done remotely, smoothly…”

“I had their assistance in company registration and I would recommend them. They were answering all my clarification during the process and offering all their supportThank you Daniel and Irinia”

“We found PRIFINANCE COMPANYvia the Internet and asked for help in organizing the opening of their company in Estonia. PRIFINANCE COMPANY specialists helped us a lot with this. Their professional, competent approach and knowledge of their business left us with only the best impressions.”

“I'm thrilled with my experience with PriFinance! They helped me obtain a crypto license in Estonia without any hassle. The team was super understanding and always available to answer my questions and assist. It was great to see how they put effort into preparing the documents to ensure everything went smoothly. I'm delighted with the outcome and highly recommend PriFinance to anyone looking to get a license…”

“Opening an account with Prifinance in a Swiss bank was such an easy and quick process that I was shocked. It all started with the first call, where I received detailed guidance on the required documents and the entire procedure.One of the key highlights was their attention to detail. As someone who usually gets tangled up in paperwork, I was pleasantly surprised when they sent me all the documents and…”

“I recently had the pleasure of working with Boris.. and I must say, it was a fantastic experience. Boris went above and beyond to assist me with my residency needs. His professionalism, knowledge, and dedication truly stood out. I highly recommend working with Boris and the team!”

One message away from your Moldova investment licence.
Get a free legal opinion on your project - our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.Free legal opinion: which CNPF category fits your project and what it will cost.
Prifinance is an independent law and advisory firm. We are not a regulator and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the National Commission for Financial Markets (CNPF) or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.