(1) A person applying for a money transmitter license under this chapter shall do so in a form and in a medium prescribed in rule by the director. The application must state or contain:
(a) The legal name, business addresses, and residential address, if applicable, of the applicant and any fictitious or trade name used by the applicant in conducting its business;
(b) The legal name, residential and business addresses, date of birth, social security number or tax payer identification number, and employment history for the five-year period preceding the submission of the application of the applicant's proposed responsible individual. In addition, the proposed responsible individual must reside in the United States, and the applicant shall provide the fingerprints of the proposed responsible individual upon the request of the director;
(c) For the ten-year period preceding submission of the application, a list of any criminal convictions of the proposed responsible individual of the applicant, any material litigation in which the applicant has been involved, and any litigation involving the proposed responsible individual relating to the provision of money services;
(d) A description of any money services previously provided by the applicant and the money services that the applicant seeks to provide to persons in Washington state;
(e) A list of the applicant's proposed authorized delegates and the locations where the applicant and its authorized delegates will engage in the provision of money services to persons in Washington state on behalf of the licensee;
(f) A list of other states in which the applicant is licensed to engage in money transmission, or provide other money services, and any license revocations, suspensions, restrictions, or other disciplinary action taken against the applicant in another state;
(g) A list of any license revocations, suspensions, restrictions, or other disciplinary action taken against any money services business involving the proposed responsible individual;
(h) Information concerning any bankruptcy or receivership proceedings involving or affecting the applicant or the proposed responsible individual;
(i) A sample form of contract for authorized delegates, if applicable;
(j) A description of the source of money and credit to be used by the applicant to provide money services; and
(k) Any other information regarding the background, experience, character, financial responsibility, and general fitness of the applicant, the applicant's responsible individual, or authorized delegates that the director may require in rule.
(2) If an applicant is a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, or other entity, the applicant shall also provide:
(a) The date of the applicant's incorporation or formation and state or country of incorporation or formation;
(b) If applicable, a certificate of good standing from the state or country in which the applicant is incorporated or formed;
(c) A brief description of the structure or organization of the applicant, including any parent or subsidiary of the applicant, and whether any parent or subsidiary is publicly traded;
(d) The legal name, any fictitious or trade name, all business and residential addresses, date of birth, social security number, and employment history in the ten-year period preceding the submission of the application for each executive officer, board director, or person that has control of the applicant;
(e) If the applicant or its corporate parent is not a publicly traded entity, the director may request the fingerprints of each executive officer, board director, or person that has control of the applicant;
(f) A list of any criminal convictions, material litigation, and any litigation related to the provision of money services, in the ten-year period preceding the submission of the application in which any executive officer, board director, or person in control of the applicant has been involved;
(g) A copy of the applicant's audited financial statements for the most recent fiscal year or, if the applicant is a wholly owned subsidiary of another corporation, the most recent audited consolidated annual financial statement of the parent corporation or the applicant's most recent audited consolidated annual financial statement, and in each case, if available, for the two-year period preceding the submission of the application;
(h) A copy of the applicant's unconsolidated financial statements for the current fiscal year, whether audited or not, and, if available, for the two-year period preceding the submission of the application;
(i) If the applicant is publicly traded, a copy of the most recent report filed with the United States securities and exchange commission under section 13 of the federal Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. Sec. 78m);
(j) If the applicant is a wholly owned subsidiary of:
(i) A corporation publicly traded in the United States, a copy of audited financial statements for the parent corporation for the most recent fiscal year or a copy of the parent corporation's most recent report filed under section 13 of the federal Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. Sec. 78m); or
(ii) A corporation publicly traded outside the United States, a copy of similar documentation filed with the regulator of the parent corporation's domicile outside the United States;
(k) If the applicant has a registered agent in this state, the name and address of the applicant's registered agent in this state; and
(l) Any other information that the director may require in rule regarding the applicant, each executive officer, or each board director to determine the applicant's background, experience, character, financial responsibility, and general fitness.
(3) A nonrefundable application fee and an initial license fee, as determined in rule by the director, must accompany an application for a license under this chapter. The initial license fee must be refunded if the application is denied.
(4) As part of or in connection with an application for any license under this section, or periodically upon license renewal, each officer, director, responsible individual, and owner applicant shall furnish information concerning his or her identity, including fingerprints for submission to the Washington state patrol or the federal bureau of investigation for a state and national criminal history background check, personal history, experience, business record, purposes, and other pertinent facts, as the director may reasonably require. As part of or in connection with an application for a license under this chapter, or periodically upon license renewal, the director is authorized to receive criminal history record information that includes nonconviction data as defined in RCW 10.97.030 . The department may only disseminate nonconviction data obtained under this section to criminal justice agencies. This section does not apply to financial institutions regulated under chapters 31.12 and 31.13 RCW and Titles 32 and 33 RCW. The requirements of this subsection do not apply when the applicant or its corporate parents are publicly traded entities.
(5) For business models that store virtual currency on behalf of others, the applicant must provide a third-party security audit of all electronic information and data systems acceptable to the director.
(6) The director or the director's designated representative may deny an application for a proposed license or trade name if the proposed license or trade name is similar to a currently existing licensee name, including trade names.
(7) The director may waive one or more requirements of this section or permit an applicant to submit other information in lieu of the required information.
Effective date — 2024 c 50: See note following RCW 18.415.010 .