Lance Armstrong's Team RadioShack and Great Britain's Team Sky are among the squads to have their ProTour licences rubber-stamped by the International Cycling Union today - although Astana's application awaits a bank guarantee.

Kazakh-backed Astana, whose representatives included Armstrong and Tour de France champion Alberto Contador in 2009, were plagued by financial difficulties throughout the season, with the riders going unpaid during May's Giro d'Italia.

UCI ProTour Council president Vittorio Adorni requested the UCI's licence commission withdraw Astana's licence in May, but team executives intervened, the funding issue was resolved and the sanction was suspended for the remainder of the campaign.

However, to compete in the leading events in 2010, the UCI insist Astana must provide proof of their financial backing, something they expect to receive imminently.

Failure to secure the bank guarantee would allow Contador to terminate his Astana contract, which has one year left to run.

A UCI statement read: "Looking forward to the 2010 season, the UCI requested the Kazakh team to provide an additional bank guarantee so that the regrettable situation in 2009 would not be repeated and so that the request for the withdrawal of the Astana licence would not have to be reactivated.

"This request is not connected in any way to the registration procedure for UCI ProTeams mentioned above but to the request for the withdrawal of the Astana licence that would have to be reactivated if the bank guarantee is not provided.

"The UCI awaits this bank guarantee and is confident it will be provided soon."

Spaniard Contador - winner of the 2007 and 2009 Tours de France and 2008 Giro and Vuelta a Espana - has continually been linked with a move from the squad, but recently stated he would remain if their ProTour licence were granted.

Team Sky, whose first squad gathering is taking place in Manchester this week, and Team RadioShack have each been granted four-year licences.

In September, Sky - who are led by British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford - were awarded the ProTour licence.

So far Brailsford has recruited 24 riders, but the biggest question remains whether Bradley Wiggins will join the team.

Wiggins, however, is contracted to Garmin-Slipstream for 2010, with the American team remaining steadfast in their response that the 29-year-old will be staying with the squad.

Team RadioShack is a new squad brought together by seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong as he bids for an eighth title next July at the age of 38.