A PCI DSS-compliant payment gateway with basic acquiring capabilities can reach production in 4 to 6 months with an experienced team. A full neobank with EMI licensing, card issuing, and open banking integrations typically requires 9 to 18 months, with the range driven largely by licensing timelines and banking partner onboarding. The most common cause of delays is underestimating the time required for compliance activities, scheme certification, and third-party integration testing.