This paper presents an analysis of capabilities of advanced filter bank based multicarrier schemes such as the FBMC (named also OFDM/OQAM), or the IOTA scheme in the context of spectrum sharing (Cognitive Radio). The throughput of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and the filter bank multicarrier schemes are compared to reveal the efficiency of using FBMC in the cognitive radio systems. Different problems have been analysed; the spectrum and power allocation problem, the resource allocation in decode and forward multirelay cognitive network, and finally the impact of the time synchronization errors on the performance of the downlink of OFDM and FBMC based multi-cellular networks. Simulation results contribute in recommending the use of advanced multicarrier filter bank (FBMC) physical layer in future cognitive radio systems.