Title: Verifying a Stablecoin Provider's Licence | Sentvia Source: https://www.sentvia.com/blog/verify-stablecoin-provider-licence-questions Description: Ten questions to ask a stablecoin provider before any money moves: which register to check, what a real answer looks like, and the evasions that mean walk away. --- [← Insights](https://www.sentvia.com/blog) - Stablecoins - Finance # Questions to Ask Before You Pick a Regulated Stablecoin Provider Ten questions, in writing, before any money moves. The registers to check, the answers that count, and the evasions that tell you to walk away. Sentvia 16 September 2026 · 3 min read ![Sentvia provides a stablecoin payments platform for global businesses](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/00uqjdp8/production/ceb6362d823909311c8639ec05e94b8f13f56f3a-3508x2481.png?rect=0,255,3508,1973&w=1600&h=900&fit=crop&auto=format) Before any money moves, put ten questions to a prospective stablecoin provider in writing, and verify the two that matter most yourself: which register the firm appears on, and under exactly what legal name. Public registers exist so you never have to take a website's word for it. A legitimate provider answers all ten quickly; evasion on any of them is your answer. ## The ten questions - **1\.** What is the exact legal name of the entity we would contract with? - **2\.** Which regulator and register cover that entity, and what is the registration number? - **3\.** Whose name will be on the bank account our fiat lands in? - **4\.** Do you screen every incoming payment, and what happens when one fails? - **5\.** Will you pay funds to a third party's account? (The right answer is no.) - **6\.** Is the price agreed before execution, all-in, and shown on a worked example? - **7\.** What are the settlement timings and cut-offs for our currencies? - **8\.** What documents do you provide per transaction for our bank and auditors? - **9\.** How are client assets held between arrival and settlement? - **10\.** What do you not do? (Every real compliance programme has refusals it can name.) ## How to verify the answers on the registers In Canada, search the legal name from question 1 on FINTRAC's public registry of money services businesses. The entry shows the registration number, status and permitted activities. Check that the name matches exactly: group brands often span several entities, and only some of them are registered. Sentvia's own entry is there (MSB No. C100000474), which is how every prospective client can check us before a single conversation. In the EU, MiCA authorisation is the test, and it has teeth: ESMA stated on 23 June 2026 that firms offering crypto services in the EU without authorisation are in breach of EU law. In the UAE, the Central Bank's Payment Token Services Regulation is fully operational since its transition period ended on 16 June 2026. In every case the principle is the same: the register, not the website, is the source of truth. ## Reading the answers Good answers are boring: a legal name, a number, a register, a timing, a document list. Warning signs are recognisable across providers. A licence claimed in general terms with no number. A registration in one jurisdiction stretched to imply coverage everywhere. Willingness to pay third parties, presented as flexibility. Fees that only become clear after execution. And impatience with the questions themselves, which tells you how the relationship will feel when something actually goes wrong. One more habit worth keeping: re-verify annually. Registrations lapse, entities restructure, and the register check that took five minutes at onboarding takes five minutes at renewal too. ## Terms used on this page - **MSB:** money services business, the Canadian registration category for firms dealing in currency exchange and virtual currency, supervised by FINTRAC. - **MiCA:** the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, under which crypto service providers need authorisation. - **Register:** a regulator's public list of authorised or registered firms, checkable by anyone. ## Frequently asked questions ### Why does the exact legal name matter so much? Because registration attaches to an entity, not a brand. A group can have a registered entity in one country and an unregistered one taking your money in another, under the same logo. Verify the entity on your contract. ### Is registration the same as endorsement? No. Registration means the firm is known to the regulator and subject to obligations; it is a floor, not a seal of quality. That is why the other nine questions exist. ### What if a provider says regulation doesn't apply to its model? Sometimes that is technically true and always it deserves scrutiny: ask which analysis supports it and who stands behind that analysis. A firm converting your stablecoins to fiat and touching your money almost always sits inside somebody's perimeter. ### Should small businesses bother with all ten questions? Yes, because the downside is not proportional to your size: a frozen settlement or a closed bank account hurts a small business more, not less. The questions cost an email. ## Related reading - What a FINTRAC-registered MSB means for a client: /blog/fintrac-registered-msb-explained - How to choose a stablecoin settlement provider: /blog/choose-stablecoin-settlement-provider - Is it legal for my business to accept stablecoin payments: /blog/is-it-legal-to-accept-stablecoin-payments - Stablecoin off-ramp providers for corporates compared: /blog/stablecoin-off-ramp-providers-compared ## Sources - FINTRAC: public registry of registered money services businesses. https://fintrac-canafe.canada.ca/msb-esm/reg-eng - ESMA, 23 June 2026: firms offering crypto services in the EU without MiCA authorisation are in breach of EU law. https://www.esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2026-06/ESMA75-113276571-1710\_Public\_Statement\_MiCA\_transitional\_period\_ends.pdf - Pinsent Masons Out-Law: the CBUAE Payment Token Services Regulation transition period ended 16 June 2026. https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/analysis/uae-digital-asset-regulation-payment-tokens-transition-end ## Talk to us about your payment flows Named IBAN accounts, spot-rate FX, and same-day settlement for global businesses. [Get started](https://www.sentvia.com/enquire) ## More insights [ ![Sentvia provides a stablecoin payments platform for global businesses](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/00uqjdp8/production/ceb6362d823909311c8639ec05e94b8f13f56f3a-3508x2481.png?rect=0,255,3508,1973&w=800&h=450&fit=crop&auto=format) - Stablecoins - Finance ## Why Did the Seller Refuse My Crypto Payment? You offered to pay in crypto and the seller said no. The four real reasons behind the refusal, and what you can send them that turns a no into a yes. Sentvia · 17 September 2026 ](https://www.sentvia.com/blog/why-did-the-seller-refuse-my-crypto-payment) [ ![Sentvia provides a stablecoin payments platform for global businesses](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/00uqjdp8/production/ceb6362d823909311c8639ec05e94b8f13f56f3a-3508x2481.png?rect=0,255,3508,1973&w=800&h=450&fit=crop&auto=format) - Stablecoins - Cross-Border Payments ## Crypto Payment Gateway vs Stablecoin Off-Ramp: Which Do You Need? Two products that sound alike and solve different problems. A gateway takes many small checkout payments; an off-ramp converts large sums into fiat in your own account Sentvia · 14 September 2026 ](https://www.sentvia.com/blog/crypto-payment-gateway-vs-stablecoin-off-ramp) [ ![Sentvia provides a stablecoin payments platform for global businesses](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/00uqjdp8/production/ceb6362d823909311c8639ec05e94b8f13f56f3a-3508x2481.png?rect=0,255,3508,1973&w=800&h=450&fit=crop&auto=format) - Stablecoins - Finance ## How to Choose a Stablecoin Settlement Provider for Your Business Six criteria that separate providers you can bank on from providers that will cost you a banking relationship: regulation, account structure, screening, settlement, pricing transparency and limits. Sentvia · 13 September 2026 ](https://www.sentvia.com/blog/choose-stablecoin-settlement-provider)