ARTICLE
23 July 2026

Should The Commercial Agent Exclusion Be Treated As A Free Pass?

MF
MK Fintech Partners

Contributor

MK Fintech Partners Ltd. is affiliated with the prestigious Michael Kyprianou Group, a leading international legal and advisory entity. Renowned for its diverse legal services, the group has become one of Cyprus' largest law firms, with offices in Nicosia, Limassol, Malta, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and the UK.
The commercial agent exclusion in EU payments regulation has evolved from a narrow carve-out for genuine sales intermediaries into a structure that regulators increasingly view as a means of circumventing licensing requirements. This regulatory tension, which predates PSD3, is now being directly addressed through the forthcoming Payment Services Regulation (PSR). How will these reforms reshape the landscape for payment service providers and commercial agents operating within the European Union?
Malta Finance and Banking
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The exclusion for commercial agents has historically held an ambiguous position within EU payments regulation. Originally intended as a limited exception for legitimate sales intermediaries, it has increasingly been used in arrangements that regulators perceive as a means of avoiding licensing requirements. This regulatory tension is not new, but it is now being directly addressed through the forthcoming Payment Services Regulation (PSR), following the broader reforms introduced under PSD3.

The commercial agent exclusion has long occupied an uneasy position in EU payments regulation. Conceived as a narrow carve-out for genuine sales intermediaries, it has increasingly become a vehicle for structures that regulators view as circumventing licensing altogether. This tension predates PSD3 and is now being addressed head-on through the forthcoming Payment Services Regulation (PSR).

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