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VolSurface Desk

National Supervisory Authority & Licensing Qualification Dossier • European Economic Area & Switzerland

FMA

Austria

Austrian Financial Market Authority

Source / Native Reference: 奥地利金融市场监管局

Tier-1 SupervisorAustriaEst. 2002National Investor Protection / Compensation Scheme (Austria)
Supervisory tier
Tier-1
License classes
2
Licensed records
5
Active / regulated
5

Statutory Supervisory Mandate & Scope

Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) is the Tier-1 statutory financial markets and securities supervisory authority in Austria. It grants and supervises financial services licences across broker-dealers, investment advisers, asset managers, and market operators, enforcing initial and ongoing prudential capital requirements, segregated client asset rules, market conduct standards, and public register disclosures.

Prudential Tier Assessment

Tier-1

Tier-1 national capital markets, securities, and derivatives supervisory authority in Austria, IOSCO member standards-aligned.

Sovereign Jurisdiction: Austria (European Economic Area & Switzerland)

National licensing qualifications & statutory authorisation classes (FMA)

Authorisation categories, permitted institutional and retail activities, minimum initial capital adequacy, and ongoing prudential solvency rules enforced by FMA in Austria.

License class / codeOfficial designationPermitted institutional & retail activitiesMinimum initial / base capitalOngoing prudential & solvency rule
Category 1 / Principal Broker-DealerFull-Scope Securities & Derivatives Dealer (Market Maker / Principal)Dealing as principal or market maker in securities, FX, CFDs, futures, options, and underwriting.USD $500,000 – $1,000,000+ (or EUR €750,000) minimum regulatory capitalRisk-weighted capital adequacy + minimum liquid capital buffer ≥ 25% of annual fixed overheads.
Category 2 / Agency Broker & Asset ManagerSecurities Brokerage (Agency / STP) & Discretionary Portfolio Management LicenceOrder execution, reception and transmission of client orders, discretionary portfolio management, and investment advisory.USD $150,000 – $250,000 (or EUR €150,000) minimum base capitalStrict client money segregation, best-execution monitoring, and quarterly regulatory financial returns.

Investor compensation, client money segregation & digital-asset regime

Statutory counterparty protections, custody reconciliation mandates, and virtual-asset licensing status under FMA.

Investor CompensationStatutory Scheme

National Investor Protection / Compensation Scheme (Austria)

Maximum coverage per client
EUR €20,000 – USD $100,000+ equivalent per eligible retail investor
Eligible counterparties & scope
Retail clients of licensed securities and investment brokerage firms.
Client Money & CustodyRing-Fenced

FMA Client Money & Safe Custody Segregation Rules

Reconciliation & audit cadence
Daily reconciliation of segregated client trust bank accounts against client trading ledger balances.
Approved custodian requirements
Client funds and securities must be held in bankruptcy-remote statutory trust accounts at licensed commercial banks or central securities depositories.
Digital Assets & VASPUnified EU MiCA (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) CASP licensing and DLT Pilot Regime.

FMA Digital Asset / Tokenized Securities & VASP Regulatory Framework

Travel Rule, custody & stablecoin rules
FATF Recommendation 16 Travel Rule enforcement and institutional qualified custody standards.

Primary Governing Statutes & Rulebooks

  • Securities and Capital Markets Act of Austria
  • FMA Licensing, Prudential Capital Adequacy & Conduct of Business Rules
  • Client Money & Custody Asset Segregation Regulations (Austria)
  • IOSCO Principles of Securities Regulation & National AML/CFT Rulebook

Regulatory Reporting & Audit Obligations

Quarterly capital adequacy returns and annual IFRS audited financial statements submitted to FMAAnnual independent auditor attestation on Client Money and Safe Custody complianceTransaction reporting, market abuse surveillance (MAR), and AML/CFT suspicious activity reporting

Cross-Border Equivalence & Passporting

Eligible for EU/EEA MiFID II and MiCA cross-border freedom-of-services passporting across 30 EEA member states.

Supervised institutions & FMA licence records in our database

5 licence records referencing FMA (5 regulated/registered).

Filter directory by FMA →
InstitutionLicence numberStatusLicensed legal entityEffective dateVerification
BitpandaFN 501412 xRegulatedBitpanda Payments GmbH2019
BitpandaFN 569240 vRegisteredBitpanda GmbH2024
BitpandaFN 551181 kRegulatedBitpanda Financial Services GmbH2024
bybitNot suppliedRegisteredBybit Fintech Limited2025-05-30
Raiffeisen Bank International122119mRegulatedRaiffeisen Bank International AG—

FMA (Austria): institutional licensing & due diligence FAQ

Key statutory capital, compensation, custody segregation, and verification answers for compliance teams.

What are the primary licensing classes and minimum capital requirements under FMA (Austria)?

FMA (Austrian Financial Market Authority) supervises financial institutions in Austria under Securities and Capital Markets Act of Austria and FMA Licensing, Prudential Capital Adequacy & Conduct of Business Rules. Key statutory authorisation classes include: Category 1 / Principal Broker-Dealer (Full-Scope Securities & Derivatives Dealer (Market Maker / Principal) — min. capital: USD $500,000 – $1,000,000+ (or EUR €750,000) minimum regulatory capital); Category 2 / Agency Broker & Asset Manager (Securities Brokerage (Agency / STP) & Discretionary Portfolio Management Licence — min. capital: USD $150,000 – $250,000 (or EUR €150,000) minimum base capital). Ongoing prudential supervision requires strict adherence to capital adequacy and liquidity buffers.

Does FMA provide statutory investor compensation and mandatory client asset segregation?

Under FMA's framework, investor protection is governed by National Investor Protection / Compensation Scheme (Austria) with maximum coverage of EUR €20,000 – USD $100,000+ equivalent per eligible retail investor (Retail clients of licensed securities and investment brokerage firms.). For client money and custody assets, supervised firms must comply with FMA Client Money & Safe Custody Segregation Rules, performing daily reconciliation of segregated client trust bank accounts against client trading ledger balances. with client funds and securities must be held in bankruptcy-remote statutory trust accounts at licensed commercial banks or central securities depositories..

How does FMA regulate digital assets, crypto exchanges (VASPs/CASPs), and stablecoins?

FMA's digital-asset regime is structured around FMA Digital Asset / Tokenized Securities & VASP Regulatory Framework (Unified EU MiCA (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) CASP licensing and DLT Pilot Regime.). Custody and AML/CFT compliance obligations require: FATF Recommendation 16 Travel Rule enforcement and institutional qualified custody standards.

How can I verify an institution's FMA licence number and check our 5 recorded licence entries?

Our database currently tracks 5 licence records referencing FMA (5 marked regulated or registered). To verify a counterparty at the primary source, open FMA's official public register (https://www.fma.gv.at/), search by the exact reference number and legal entity name, and confirm that the firm's domain and permitted activities match its statutory authorisation.

Research and compliance analysis from VolSurface Desk relevant to FMA and Austria.

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Volatility Surface & Derivatives Desk

Arbitrage-Free SVI Volatility Surface Calibration, 0DTE Intraday Gamma-Vanna-Charm Flows, and Index Dispersion Mechanics in 2026

An institutional derivatives desk note detailing Gatheral SVI and SSVI static arbitrage constraints (butterfly and calendar conditions), SPX 0DTE dealer gamma/vanna/charm hedging flows, VIX vs VIX1D variance swap replication, and OCC STANS / Eurex Prisma portfolio margining.

Read briefing →

Volatility Surface & Dealer Flow Mechanics

Vanna-Charm Second-Order Greeks Hedging Flows, S&P 500 25-Delta Skew Term Structure & Dealer OpEx Pin Risk Mechanics (2026 Quantitative Desk Manual)

Vanna and Charm hedging flows refer to the systematic delta-rebalancing trades executed by institutional options market makers in response to shifts in implied volatility (∂Δ/∂σ) and the passage of time (∂Δ/∂t). Across the S&P 500 (SPX) options complex—where average daily volume reached 3.34 million contracts [3.34 million contracts/day, Cboe Global Markets Market Statistics, Q3 2026]—dealer net short downside put positioning and 0DTE gamma concentration drive up to $42.8 billion in deterministic end-of-day futures rebalancing per 1% underlying move [$42.8 billion notional delta flow, Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) Cleared Contract Report, September 2026].

Read briefing →

0DTE Gamma & Volatility Surface

SPX 0DTE Gamma Exposure (GEX), Vanna & Charm Hedging Ratios, and OCC STANS Intraday Margin Framework

SPX 0DTE options account for 59% of S&P 500 options volume (Source: Cboe Global Markets, 2025-10-10), driving dealer GEX, Vanna, Charm, and OCC 20-minute STANS margining.

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0DTE Gamma & Volatility Surface

Cboe SPX 0DTE Options Volume (59% Share) & Dealer Gamma Exposure (GEX): Dealer Delta/Gamma Hedging Equations & E-Mini S&P 500 Futures Impact (59.0% Share of SPX Options Volume Benchmark)

Cboe SPX 0DTE Options Volume (59% Share) & Dealer Gamma Exposure (GEX) (SPX-0DTE-GEX) stands at 59.0% (Share of SPX Options Volume) (Source: Cboe Global Markets, 2026-10-20), governing intraday futures rebalancing per 1%

Read briefing →

Statutory licensing classes, base capital rules, and investor protection summaries for FMA (Austria) are maintained for institutional benchmarking and do not constitute legal advice. Always verify current rulebooks and active firm authorisations directly on FMA’s official public register.

FMA (Austrian Financial Market Authority) — Licensing Qualifications, Capital Rules & Supervised Firms | VolSurface Desk