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Company formation59 jurisdictions, one fixed price eachCrypto licensingExchange, custody and payment licences
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By region
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Africa and Indian Ocean
Crypto and VASP licensing
We find the licence that fits your business model and your markets, form the company, prepare the application and manage it with the regulator to the decision. VARA in Dubai, MiCA in the EU, MAS in Singapore and more.
- Licensed in the UAE
- Fixed, published fees
- Reply within 24 hours
Advisers in English and Russian
Licensing routes
Dubai, VARA
Licences from Dubai’s virtual asset regulator, for exchanges, brokers and custodians.
From USD 12,500
Sovera fee. VARA fees, from AED 120,000 in year one, and capital are extra. 4 to 7 months.
European Union, MiCA
One licence from a member state, passported to all 27.
From USD 50,000
First-year total. Capital of EUR 50,000 to 150,000 is separate. 3 to 6 months.
United Kingdom, FCA
FCA registration now. Full authorisation from 25 October 2027, with applications to the FCA from 30 September 2026 to 28 February 2027.
From USD 25,000
First-year total, with the FCA fee. 3 to 12 months.
Switzerland, SRO
Membership of a self-regulatory organisation, the usual first step.
From USD 15,000
First-year total. A Swiss GmbH needs CHF 20,000 share capital. 2 to 3 months.
Turkmenistan
Mining registration and exchange licences from the Central Bank, under the Law on Virtual Assets in force since 1 January 2026.
From USD 8,000
First-year estimate with the company, while the Central Bank finalises its fees. 2 to 4 months.
Singapore, MAS
A payment institution licence for digital payment token services, under the Payment Services Act.
From USD 30,000
First-year total. Capital of SGD 100,000 to 250,000 is separate. 8 to 14 months.
Mauritius, FSC
Virtual asset licences under the VAITOS Act, in five classes.
Quoted per class
The company from USD 3,500; capital from MUR 2,000,000 by class. 4 to 9 months.
Cayman Islands, CIMA
Virtual asset service provider registration with the Monetary Authority.
Quoted per engagement
Registration takes 2 to 4 months. Custody and trading platforms need a full licence, 6 to 10 months.
Crypto licence cost by jurisdiction
Starting costs in US dollars, from each licence page. Each card says what its figure covers. Capital the regulator requires is always separate.
Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. VARA fees from AED 120,000 in the first year.
from USD 12,500Sovera fee
Dubai Financial Services Authority.
from USD 60,000first-year total
One licence for all 27 EU member states.
from USD 50,000first-year total
Monetary Authority of Singapore, payment institution licence.
from USD 30,000first-year total
Financial Conduct Authority. Applications for the new regime close on 28 February 2027.
from USD 25,000first-year total
A self-regulatory organisation under FINMA oversight.
from USD 15,000first-year total
Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. A full licence takes 6 to 10 months.
Quoted per engagement
Financial Services Commission, five licence classes.
Quoted per class
Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority. Not every bank or partner accepts this licence.
from USD 14,000all-in
National Commission of Digital Assets.
from USD 24,500licensing engagement
Mining registration and exchange licences, under the Central Bank.
from USD 8,000first-year estimate
E-money and payments, passported across the EEA.
from USD 80,000first-year total
Regulator fees are passed on at cost. Timelines are typical ranges from each licence page and include setting up the company. The regulator decides, and no adviser can promise the outcome or its date.
Choosing a crypto licence
For exchanges, brokers, custodians, OTC desks, payment providers and token issuers. Three questions decide the licence: where your clients are, what you do with their assets, and how much capital and time you have.
Compare crypto licencesClients in the EU
A MiCA licence from one member state covers all 27. The transition period for firms already operating ended on 1 July 2026 at the latest.
A base in Dubai
VARA licenses virtual asset firms across Dubai, except in the DIFC, where the Dubai Financial Services Authority does.
Clients in Singapore
A MAS licence takes 8 to 14 months, the longest route on this page.
Banks and partners
Banks, payment firms and exchanges weigh each licence differently. We tell you how yours is likely to be received before you apply.
Custody or a trading platform
In the Cayman Islands these have needed a full licence, not a registration, since 1 April 2025.
Regimes change
St Vincent and the Grenadines suspended new VASP applications from 1 September 2026, until further notice.
What our crypto licensing service includes
A fixed professional fee for the application, set out before you start. Regulator fees and capital are separate.
In every engagement
Regulatory assessment
Which licence fits your business model, your token and your markets.
The company
The right entity for the licence, formed in the right place.
The application
Business plan, AML and CFT policies, risk framework and compliance manuals.
The regulator
Every question from the regulator answered, through to the decision.
Add when you need them
Prices from our price list, for the company and the work around the licence.
- Bank account openingUSD 1,500
- Registered addressUSD 600a year
- Annual accountingUSD 1,200a year
- Company secretaryUSD 1,000a year
- ApostilleUSD 350
How crypto licensing works
Four stages. The regulator sets the pace of the last one.
Assessment
We review the business model and the markets, and recommend a licence, with its full cost and timeline.
Company and team
We form the licensing entity and help you recruit and prepare the directors, the compliance officer and the MLRO the regulator expects.
Application
We prepare the business plan, the policies and the manuals, and file the application.
Regulator review
We answer the regulator’s questions until the decision, then help with reporting and banking.
One adviser, from the first call to the licence
You deal with the people who do the work, in English or Russian.
Meet the team- The adviser who assesses your licence stays with the application to the decision.
- In Dubai, Ashgabat and Tashkent we do the work ourselves. Elsewhere, a licensed agent only where the law requires one.
Azim Shamuhammedov
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Olga Kurikova
Compliance Director
Vasiliy Kolesnikov
Legal Counsel
Aylar Batyrova
Chief Operations Officer
Crypto licensing questions
Short answers here. The detail is on each licence page.
Ask us something elseWhich crypto licence is fastest to obtain?
Among the routes on this page, Swiss SRO membership takes 2 to 3 months and a Cayman registration 2 to 4 months. St Vincent and the Grenadines, often named as the fastest, suspended new VASP applications from 1 September 2026, until further notice.
What is the cheapest crypto licence available?
On our licence pages, Turkmenistan has the lowest first-year estimate, from USD 8,000 with the company, while the Central Bank finalises its fees. Among established regimes, Swiss SRO membership starts from USD 15,000, and a Swiss GmbH needs CHF 20,000 share capital.
Do I need a crypto licence to operate an exchange?
In most jurisdictions, yes. Running an exchange, a brokerage or a custody service without the right licence can lead to fines, criminal penalties and frozen assets. We start by identifying the licence your business model needs.
What is MiCA and how does it affect my crypto business?
MiCA, the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, has applied to crypto-asset service providers since 30 December 2024. A MiCA licence from one member state can be passported to all 27, and the transition period for firms already operating ended on 1 July 2026 at the latest.
Can I get a crypto licence without a physical office?
It depends on the regulator. VARA in Dubai, MAS in Singapore and the EU regulators under MiCA expect local substance: an office and resident compliance staff. Others ask for less, and your adviser tells you what each one expects before you choose.
How much does a VARA licence cost?
Our fee starts from USD 12,500, for advisory or transfer and settlement services. VARA’s own fees are separate: AED 40,000 to apply and AED 80,000 a year in supervision for those two activities, and AED 100,000 and AED 200,000 for the other six. Paid-up capital starts from AED 100,000. Our VARA licence page sets out each tier.
How long does a VARA licence take in Dubai?
Usually 4 to 7 months. The process runs from the initial assessment through the review of the compliance framework to final authorisation by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. Our VARA and MAS comparison sets the two routes side by side.
What capital requirements apply to crypto licences?
It depends on the regulator and the activity. MiCA requires between EUR 50,000 and EUR 150,000, VARA from AED 100,000 for advisory services, and MAS SGD 100,000 to 250,000. A Swiss GmbH needs CHF 20,000 share capital. In the Cayman Islands, CIMA sets capital case by case, from about USD 100,000 for token issuers.
Do you handle the entire licensing process?
Yes. We manage it from the assessment and the company to the application, the regulator’s questions and the decision, and we stay on for reporting and banking after the licence.
Tell us about the business
What it does with clients’ assets, where its clients are, and when you need to be licensed. An adviser replies with the licence we would recommend, its cost and its timeline.
The same adviser from the first reply onwards.
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