Payment Services Compliance - Thistle Initiatives

Types of services

We take the payment services compliance workload off your plate, so you can continue to comply as your business grows, without your regulatory responsibilities slowing innovation.

Applications

Preparing your submission and supporting documents, answering feedback and questions from the FCA; we’re there from beginning to end and beyond

Compliance support

Comfort that the right processes are in place to meet your payment services compliance obligations on an ongoing basis, from regular audits and technical advice, to a strong compliance document suite

Audit and advisory

Having worked with over 250 payment and E-money firms, we know one size does not fit all when it comes to payment services compliance, our support is always tailor-made in the way that works best for you

Wondering how long it’ll take? What your options are? Where to start? Or whether you’re ready to become authorised?

Head to our FCA authorisation FAQs

Who we support

We support these types of organisations to keep innovating

Electronic Money Institutions
Commercial Agents
Account Information Service Providers
Electronic Communication Service Providers
Payment Initiation Service Providers
Payment Card Issuers
Foreign Exchange (FX) Providers
Payment Account Providers
Payment Acquirers
Payment Processors
Bill Payment Providers
Money Remitters

And many more...

What our payment services clients have to say

“We have been extremely satisfied with the services received from Thistle’s Payment Services team for our FCA Change in Control application. They were exceptionally responsive, attentive to our needs, and incredibly helpful. We were also very satisfied with the high level of expertise and knowledge demonstrated by the consultants, who delivered our requirements in a timely manner.”

Esettlements

“Thistle was determined to ensure that quality was not compromised for the sake of the schedule. Instead, they insisted on a rigorous review of our application dossier, which proved to be the best course of action. It was impressive to see Thistle prioritise quality over cost or schedule.”

Loyaltyview Ltd

“When contracting a consultant in any field, the most difficult part is finding the right one. Based on our experience with Thistle, I can say that you are in safe and trustworthy hands. The role of a consultant is to support whatever it is you are trying to achieve, and Thistle did that for us in a very efficient and competent manner, so much so that we managed to attain our goal two months ahead of schedule! We also valued Thistle's willingness and patience in listening to the problems we were facing. Overall, I would highly recommend Thistle to anyone with great confidence.”

Go Naito, Director

IC Payment Japan Ltd

“We have enjoyed working with the Thistle team, they are all very knowledgeable, professional and experienced. The team has assisted us in the preparation and review of all the necessary documents for our license application. We would recommend Thistle to any start-up companies like us that’s looking for support on their FCA applications.”

KeyChain Pay

“From the beginning, the Thistle team were very knowledgeable about the payment services application process. The team took time to understand our needs, were easy to work with and it felt like they put a lot of effort into the application. Our authorised payment institution application was successful and was approved by the FCA with very minimal feedback, meaning we could start rolling out our services as soon as possible.”

By Miles

“Thistle has supported us with our ongoing compliance requirements ever since they assisted us to become an authorised EMI. The team are highly knowledgeable in both the EMI and AML regulatory space. They are thorough and constructive with any feedback or advice and are able to assist with complex compliance matters in a digestible way, with a commercial mindset. I have found their audit process to be well constructed, detailed, and a vital asset in ensuring we are following our regulatory requirements. We look forward to working on the next project with the Thistle team.”

VertoFX

“The Roqqett team really enjoyed working with Thistle. We really appreciated not only the effort Thistle’s payment services team put in, but also their enthusiastic attitude. Thanks to them, we got our API application approved in no time at all.”

Roqqett

Financial crime prevention

Financial crime compliance is under intense regulatory scrutiny. At Thistle Initiatives, we help firms act swiftly and respond with confidence.

Our experts deliver audits, advisory, and managed resources that are fast, practical, and effective. With former regulators and industry specialists on our team, we bring experience from multiple sectors and major enforcement programmes. We combine deep regulatory expertise with commercial insight, tailoring solutions to each client’s business model, risk profile and maturity.

Find out more

EU Applications

Unlock and expand the power of your Payment Services firm to new markets across the EU.

As well as supporting Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs) and Payment Institutions (PIs) with applications to the FCA in the UK, Thistle Initiatives is ready to help your firm expand to new client bases in the European Union (EU). We are helping firms revolutionise and empower payment services businesses by assisting them with licensing across multiple EU jurisdictions.

Click the link below to see how we can help your firm expand.

Find out more ➜