What is an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) — and why does it matter?

What an EMI is

An Electronic Money Institution (EMI) is a company that is licensed and supervised by a financial regulator to issue electronic money and provide payment services — such as holding funds in a payment account, issuing IBANs, and moving money on your behalf. EMIs operate under strict EU rules designed to keep customer funds safe.

How this applies to Juuli

Juuli is a regulated platform — not a bank. The underlying e-money and payment services you use through Juuli are provided by Stripe Technology Europe, Limited, an Electronic Money Institution authorised and supervised by the Central Bank of Ireland (firm reference number C187865).

This means Juuli builds the experience — your payment account, your IBAN, your Visa cards, your transfers — while Stripe Technology Europe, Limited — the licensed EMI — provides the regulated financial infrastructure underneath it. You get a clean, modern product backed by a properly supervised institution.

Why it matters to you

Your money is safeguarded. EMIs are required to keep customer funds separate from their own operating money, under regulatory safeguarding rules. This is not a bank deposit and is not covered by a deposit guarantee scheme; protection comes from keeping funds separate.
Strong oversight. The EMI is supervised by a national financial regulator and must meet ongoing capital, governance and reporting obligations.
Consumer protections. EU payment-services rules cover how your transactions are authorised, processed and protected.
Identity checks for everyone. Regulated onboarding (KYC, and KYB for businesses) keeps the platform trustworthy and compliant.

EMI vs. a bank — what's the difference?

An EMI can hold funds, issue payment accounts with IBANs, and process payments — but it is not a bank and does not lend out your money or offer banking products. Your balance is held and safeguarded so it remains yours. For everyday sending, receiving and spending, an EMI-backed payment account covers what most freelancers and businesses need.

Where Juuli is available

Where a Juuli IBAN account and Visa card are available: only when you live in — or, for a business, are registered in — one of these 20 EEA countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. Other EEA countries — for example Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Czechia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway — are not eligible for a Juuli IBAN or Visa card yet. Freelancers anywhere in the world can still invoice their clients through Juuli's Merchant of Record.

Once your identity verification is approved, your IBAN and Visa card are activated, and business accounts complete an additional company verification step.

Still have questions? Email our support team at support@juuli.com — we're happy to explain how your account and funds are protected.