MiCA · CySEC
Hands-on experience with a CASP application in Cyprus
Work on a CASP application before CySEC under MiCA – governance, programme of operations, prudential and safeguarding framework, and supervisory dialogue.
about · attorney-at-law in poland
Crypto, fintech & payments lawyer.
Mateusz Świtalski
“Practitioner experience, not theory.”
I am a Polish attorney-at-law specialising in EU regulations for fintech, including crypto-assets and payments services. I help founders, directors and compliance teams of crypto exchanges, payment institutions, AI deployers and Web3 startups obtain relevant authorisation – CASP under MiCA, PSD2 payment licences – and stay compliant with AMLD6, DORA, the AI Act, the Travel Rule (TFR) and other regulations.
Attorney-at-law (radca prawny) · PZ-5181 · OIRP Poznań
what i do
How I help fintech businesses
A boutique practice with a focused service stack.
- CASP licensing under MiCA
- Token offerings – white papers, classification & sale documentation (MiCA)
- AML / KYC & Travel Rule (TFR)
- Payment Institution / Electronic Money Institution licensing
- AI Act compliance & AI governance for deployers
- DORA & cybersecurity programmes
- Polish company formation for fintech
- IP, contracts & corporate housekeeping
- Ongoing regulatory counsel (retainer)
Credentials
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- Master of Law Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (2016)
- Erasmus Programme University of Tartu, Estonia (2015)
- Polish Bar Association Member of the Chamber of Attorneys at Law in Poznań · PZ-5181
- Postgraduate Studies Corporate Governance, Risk and Compliance Management · SGH Warsaw School of Economics
- Public registry Listed in the public register of Polish attorneys-at-law
- Languages Polish (native) · English (full professional)
practitioner experience
I have done the work I am writing about
Selected mandates and roles from a decade of practice.
MiCA · Finantsinspektsioon
Hands-on experience with the CASP application in Estonia
Upgrading an existing Estonian VASP registration toward CASP authorisation under MiCA – Finantsinspektsioon dialogue and entity restructuring.
PSD2 · KNF
Worked on 10+ Payment Institution (SPI / PI) proceedings before the KNF
Programmes of operations, capital and safeguarding planning, agent registers, outsourcing arrangements – including transitions from SPI to full PI as transaction volumes grew.
MiCA · FATF · TFR
Regulatory work across 12 EU and non-EU jurisdictions
Regulated-activity mapping, AML/CFT frameworks aligned with FATF Recommendation 16 (Travel Rule), and TFR readiness for non-EU groups operating into the EU.
In-house · Regulated FI
Ex-in-house in a regulated financial institution
Led product and regulatory affairs: token listings, market-surveillance setup, terms and disclosures, regulator engagement, and incident response.
AI Act · DORA
AI Act conformity and DORA implementation programmes
For fintech deployers of AI systems (Articles 26–27 AI Act) and financial entities under DORA (Chapters II–V): risk classification, technical documentation, ICT risk framework, TLPT readiness.
Attorney-at-Law · PZ-5181
10 years of legal practice
Admitted as attorney-at-law in 2021 (PZ-5181). Experience across private practice, in-house, and partner-level advisory in capital markets, payments and crypto.
frequently asked
Questions founders ask before we start
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Yes. Most of my CASP licensing engagements involve non-EU founders – typically from the UK, Switzerland, the US, the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore – establishing an EU subsidiary in Poland or another Member State. I handle both the corporate setup and the CASP application end-to-end, in English. Under MiCA, the CASP authorisation is issued in a specific Member State and benefits from passporting across the EU/EEA.
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The statutory decision period under Article 63(5) MiCA is 40 working days from confirmation that the application is complete. In practice, the regulator’s requests for clarification reset the clock multiple times. Realistic timeline from filing to authorisation is 6–9 months, assuming a clean application file and prompt responses.
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Polish and English. Polish applications must be filed in Polish, but the engagement, drafting, client correspondence and regulator dialogue can be run entirely in English. Documents that must be filed in Polish are translated by sworn translators and reviewed against the English working version.
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Yes – most mandates start with an incorporation. The typical vehicle is a sp. z o.o. (Polish limited liability company), structured to satisfy regulatory substance requirements: registered office, board composition, key staff, and articles of association tailored to the licensed activity. I also advise on cross-border holding-company structures.
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Both. Licensing projects are typically run on fixed-fee milestones – payable as the work progresses (file preparation, submission, response to regulator, decision). Ongoing compliance is billed on a monthly retainer. Ad-hoc advisory is billed hourly. The engagement letter sets the model before any clock starts.
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Yes. I have led 10+ Small Payment Institution and National Payment Institution licences before the KNF, and have structured combined CASP + Payment Institution architectures for fiat on-ramps and embedded-finance products. PSD3 / PSR transition is part of every payments mandate I run in 2026.
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Yes. The AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689) applies to deployers as well as providers. For fintechs, the main exposure is around credit scoring, fraud detection, KYC automation and customer-facing chat. I deliver AI Act classification, conformity-assessment readiness, deployer-obligations gap analysis, and the internal AI literacy programme required since 2 February 2026.
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For financial entities, DORA Chapter II–V applies in full. The deliverables I produce: ICT risk-management framework, incident classification and reporting workflow, third-party risk register and contractual remediation, TLPT readiness, and the information-sharing arrangements expected by competent authorities.
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Email me directly at info@switalski.law with a short paragraph on what you are building and where you would like to be licensed. I reply within one business day, in English or Polish, and we book a free 30-minute call to scope the work.
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