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Modulr glossary

Electronic Money Directive / Regulations

The Electronic Money Directive (EMD) and accompanying Electronic Money Regulations govern the issuance of electronic money within the EU and UK. These regulations enable licensed Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs) like Modulr to issue e-money, hold client funds and provide payment services. Post-Brexit, the UK and EU may diverge in their implementation of these rules.

Applications

E-commerce:

Reduces fraud in online card payments by verifying the cardholder's identity

Banking and fintech:

Helps issuers and payment providers comply with Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) requirements.

Advantages

  • Enhanced security: Reduces unauthorised transactions by verifying that the genuine account holder is authorising the payment
  • Fraud prevention: Helps reduce chargebacks related to fraud.

Challenges

  • User Experience: Additional authentication steps can cause friction and increase checkout abandonment
  • Implementation complexity: Requires integration with card schemes and issuer systems.

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