Mews Secured Electronic Money Institution Licence
Mews Financial Services B.V. has received authorization to process payments across the European Economic Area.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Financial Services
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Mews has obtained an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence from De Nederlandsche Bank, making it the first hospitality-specific operating system to hold such authorization in the European Economic Area. This regulatory status allows the company to process payments directly on its own infrastructure.
Why it matters
The EMI licence enables Mews to own the reconciliation layer of hotel payment flows, allowing the company to retain facilitation fees that were previously directed to third-party processors. It serves as a necessary prerequisite for launching specialized financial services for the hospitality industry.
Mews processed $19.7 billion in hotel transaction value in 2025 and currently serves 15,000 properties across 85 countries. The company reached a $2.5 billion valuation following a $300 million Series D funding round completed earlier in 2026.
The players
Mews
Mews is a technology company that provides a cloud-based operating system for hotels and other hospitality properties.
De Nederlandsche Bank
De Nederlandsche Bank is the central bank of the Netherlands and serves as the primary supervisory authority for the national financial system.
Mews Financial Services B.V.
Mews Financial Services B.V. is the corporate entity within the Mews group that obtained the new EMI licence.
The details
The licence grants Mews passporting rights to operate across all EU member states while requiring the company to safeguard client funds separately from its operational balance sheet. Although Mews can now manage payment infrastructure, the company does not take deposits or lend against them.
Timeline
In 2025, Mews processed $19.7 billion in hotel transaction volume.
Earlier in 2026, the company completed a $300 million Series D round.
On September 29, 2026, Mews officially obtained the Electronic Money Institution licence.
Market Landscape
This development allows Mews to integrate deeper into the hospitality value chain by capturing payment facilitation margins. The move positions the company to compete more directly with traditional merchant acquirers by leveraging its existing dominant footprint in hotel operating systems.
Hotels using Mews may eventually see more integrated payment and financial tools, potentially simplifying their backend reconciliation processes. Customers booking rooms at properties utilizing these tools will see no immediate changes to their payment or reservation experience.
The takeaway
The acquisition of an EMI licence marks a strategic shift for Mews from a software-only provider toward a comprehensive financial services platform for hospitality. Future growth will rely on the successful implementation of new financial products that utilize this expanded regulatory foundation.
Further reading
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