Texas Money Transmitter Bond
In Texas there is no single bond figure to quote you — the amount is a capital-planning output. Under the Money Services Modernization Act (Finance Code Chapter 152, effective 2023), the bond is driven by one test: whether your tangible net worth clears 10% of total assets. Pass it and the bond is a flat $100,000; fall at or below it and the bond scales with your actual Texas transmission liability — up to a $500,000 band, with a hard statutory ceiling of $2,000,000. Run the bands on the Texas money transmitter bond calculator before you file.
The net-worth test that sets your number (§152.352)
Chapter 152 sizes a money-transmission licensee's security off a single threshold — tangible net worth measured against total assets. Find which side of 10% you sit on, and your bond amount follows directly.
Net worth > 10% of total assets
$100,000
A well-capitalized transmitter clears the test and carries a flat $100,000 bond — regardless of how much volume flows through Texas. Capital strength is rewarded with a fixed, predictable obligation.
Net worth ≤ 10% of total assets
up to $500,000
The bond becomes the greater of 100% of your average daily Texas money-transmission liability over the most recent three-month period, or up to a maximum of $500,000 in this band. Thinner capital means the bond now tracks the funds you actually move.
The $2,000,000 ceiling. Under the additional-security provision (§152.354), the Texas Banking Commissioner can require more security based on a licensee's financial condition or risk profile — but total required security is capped at a hard statutory maximum of $2,000,000. That cap is the upper bound of your exposure as a Texas licensee.
Treat the bond as a lever you can move — not a fixed cost
Because the §152.352 threshold turns on the ratio of tangible net worth to total assets, the Texas bond is one of the few where your balance sheet directly controls the obligation. That makes it a planning variable, not just a line item:
Capitalize across the threshold
Pushing tangible net worth above 10% of total assets moves you from the volume-scaled band into the flat $100,000 tier. For a high-volume transmitter, that can mean the difference between a six-figure bond near the $500,000 band and a fixed, low obligation — a reason to time capital injections before filing.
The three-month liability window is rolling
In the lower band, the bond reflects 100% of average daily Texas transmission liability over the most recent three months — so a seasonal spike in funds-in-transit can raise the required amount at renewal. Track the rolling figure rather than reacting to a single notice.
Letter of credit and deposit are alternatives, but they lock up capital
Chapter 152 accepts an irrevocable letter of credit or a deposit in lieu of a surety bond. A surety bond usually wins because it does not consume a credit line or tie up cash — the same reserves you may need to keep tangible net worth above the 10% line. See how premium is priced in our surety bond cost guide.
Virtual-currency and crypto transmitters
If your business transmits virtual currency in a way that meets the Chapter 152 definition of money transmission, you are licensed and bonded under the same §152.352 net-worth framework as a fiat transmitter — there is no separate crypto bond schedule. The bond still keys off the 10% tangible-net-worth test and, in the lower band, your average daily Texas transmission liability. FinCEN MSB registration remains a federal prerequisite before the state license issues. Because classification of specific virtual-currency models can be fact-dependent, confirm your activity with the Texas Department of Banking before assuming a tier.
Two separate licenses, two separate securities
Money Transmission License
Receiving and transmitting funds. Security is the net-worth-based bond under §152.352 — $100,000 flat or the volume-scaled band up to $500,000, capped at $2,000,000.
Currency Exchange License
A separate, lower-risk license under §152.5353 with its own small security requirement: a $2,500 bond. Businesses holding both stack the securities separately.
Filing path
Texas money services licensing runs through the NMLS electronic platform. The Texas Department of Banking regulates, and the Texas Banking Commissioner is named as obligee on the bond. Once you know the amount your net-worth test produces, the surety files the bond electronically into NMLS to complete or maintain the license record.
Texas money transmitter bond questions
How much is the Texas money transmitter bond?
It is not a fixed number — it is the output of a net-worth test under Tex. Fin. Code §152.352. If your tangible net worth is more than 10% of total assets, the bond is a flat $100,000. If your tangible net worth is 10% or less of total assets, the bond is the greater of 100% of your average daily Texas money-transmission liability over the most recent three-month period, or up to a maximum of $500,000 in that band. A separate additional-security provision (§152.354) caps the total at $2,000,000.
What changed under the Money Services Modernization Act?
Texas replaced Finance Code Chapter 151 with Chapter 152, the Money Services Modernization Act, effective in 2023. The new framework ties the bond to your tangible net worth and your actual Texas transmission liability rather than a high flat floor. If you are working from older guidance citing a $300,000 minimum scaling at roughly 1% of volume, that is the retired Chapter 151 structure and no longer applies — size the bond off the §152.352 net-worth test instead.
Do crypto and virtual-currency transmitters need this bond?
If your business transmits virtual currency in a way that meets the definition of money transmission under Chapter 152, you are licensed and bonded under the same §152.352 framework as fiat transmitters. The bond is still sized off the net-worth test and your Texas transmission liability, and FinCEN MSB registration remains a federal prerequisite before the state license is issued. Confirm your specific activity with the Texas Department of Banking, since classification of virtual-currency models can be fact-specific.
Is a currency exchange license the same as money transmission?
No. A standalone Currency Exchange License is a separate, lower-risk license with its own much smaller security requirement — a $2,500 bond under §152.5353. Money transmission, which involves receiving and transmitting funds, is the license that triggers the net-worth-based bond under §152.352. Some businesses hold both; the security requirements are stacked separately.
Can I post something other than a surety bond?
Yes. Chapter 152 lets you satisfy the security requirement with an irrevocable letter of credit or a deposit in lieu of a surety bond, in the same amount the bond would require. Most applicants still use a surety bond because it does not tie up capital or a credit line the way a letter of credit or cash deposit does — which matters when you are managing reserves to clear the net-worth test.
How do I file the bond with Texas?
Money services licensing in Texas runs through the NMLS (Nationwide Multistate Licensing System) electronic platform. The Texas Department of Banking is the regulator and the Texas Banking Commissioner is the obligee named on the bond. You obtain the bond at the amount your net-worth test produces, then the surety files it electronically into NMLS to complete or maintain the license record.
All content is researched from official state and federal sources (.gov) and verified before publication. BuySuretyBonds.com works with Treasury-certified, A-minimum rated surety carriers serving all 50 states.
General information, not legal, financial, or underwriting advice. Texas money services bond amounts are set by Tex. Fin. Code Ch. 152 (Money Services Modernization Act) and administered by the Texas Department of Banking; specific amounts turn on your tangible net worth, total assets, and Texas transmission liability and can change with statute and rule. Verify current requirements with the Department of Banking and through NMLS before filing.
Know your band before you file with NMLS.
Tell us your tangible net worth, total assets, and Texas transmission volume — we'll confirm whether you land at the flat $100,000 tier or the volume-scaled band and quote the bond accordingly.
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