Financial Licenses Offshore and in Other Countries

Financial licensing is one of the business standards in every country. It applies to all companies and private businessmen directly or indirectly related to keeping, managing and distributing the assets, be that insurance, brokerage, gambling, crypto-currency, banking, Forex brokers, trusts and other financial services.

Offshore financial licenses are the most beneficial instrument. Its wise use can bring outstanding profits. However, in order to start something, you will need to establish a company, choose an incorporation country and make sure to study its domestic legal regulations, rights and responsibilities of the founder and the legal entity per se.

Types of Offshore Licenses 

From our articles you can find out who, when and why needs an offshore license. This particular article will focus on the countries and territories that offer the most beneficial and accessible conditions for obtaining a business license personally or via the experts and partners of our portal in 2021.

Here is the list of the most common businesses that you can start abroad having a license only:

1. Currency operations and trading in the Forex market.
2. Brokerage services.
3. Currency exchange.
4. Money transfer and processing services.
5. Asset protection and management for individuals/legal entities.
6. Operations with securities, debentures, futures, options, etc.
7. Being a financial transactions intermediary.
8. E-commerce.
9. Online gambling and gaming operations.
10. Insurance.
11. Banking services and any related additional services and many more.

An offshore license is only valid for the specific line of business, and each country has different requirements to the documents and companies applying for the licensee registration. Even if all the requirements are met, there is no 100% guarantee that you will be granted a license, and there are many reasons for that.

Successful registration of licensed corporations depends largely on the preparation of supporting documents, the size of share capital, financial and accounting reports and the choice of legal corporate form. In order to enter the international market being already experienced in the legal field and having substantial knowledge, we recommend that you contact proficient and trusted professionals only.

Forex and Securities Investment Business Offshore License

The license allowing you to provide broker-dealer services, including Forex, will give you an opportunity to enter the largest transnational interbank market for currency exchange, and carry out securities transactions.

What countries grant Forex and brokerage licenses in 2021?

1. Belize is an offshore jurisdiction with the stable economy and finance. It is a favorable area for registering a foreign company, including the niche of Forex and brokerage services.
2. The British Virgin Islands (BVI) are popular for their low taxes, which also applies to the licensed types of business.
3. The Cayman Islands is a Western Caribbean state known as one of the largest financial centers in the world. As opposed to the classic offshore, financial services in the Cayman Islands are particularly well- regulated and must also comply with the OECD and FATF regulations, which improves the standing of this jurisdiction for foreign investors. 
4. Cyprus is one of the best jurisdictions in the European Union for acquiring a financial license. All companies fall under the supervision of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) that has set strict requirements and regulations for licensed activities within this country.
5. Hong Kong cannot be 100% referred to as offshore, but due to its developed tax policy many foreign businessmen prefer to register their companies there for the purpose of tax optimization in the first place. The legislation on licensing and trading in securities and futures provides for ten types of regulated business operations. Type 3 license for leveraged foreign exchange trading allows a corporation to buy and/or sell foreign currency for its clients on a margin basis.
6. Labuan Money Broking License. A license issued by the jurisdiction of Labuan attracts many Forex broker-dealers by being easy to obtain. Your taxable income will be offshore.
7. Malta, where you can obtain a Forex license by contacting our experts.
8. In New Zealand both foreign and local businessmen can count on a unique type of the Financial Service Provider license or FSP license. The jurisdiction belongs to onshore and therefore is not blacklisted by any country of the world. 
9. Forex license in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).
10. Vanuatu Dealers in Securities License. Vanuatu is a great place to start a Forex company thanks to the favorable requirements and tax incentives.

Gambling License Abroad

It is possible to obtain a gambling license offshore if you know exactly that the business will grow, and the income will cover all the costs for registering a company and promoting its services. 

What countries offer gambling licenses to the foreign founders in 2021?

1. Costa Rica is an independent Central American jurisdiction that is popular for its low cost of starting a business and the availability of gambling licenses. 
2. Curacao is one of the oldest and most politically stable providers of regulated e-gaming services.
3. The Gibraltar license is also available to both foreign and local businessmen who wish to conquer the gambling industry.
4. Malta is part of the EU, which makes it attractive for the company registration, including the gambling industry companies.

ICO and Crypto-Currency Licenses Offshore

Crypto-currency business and operations with digital assets is a profitable line of the offshore business where the company registration takes a minimum amount of time, and the financial license may be also obtained remotely.

1. Digital asset license in Bermuda.
2. Estonia, where the regulatory framework for crypto-currency business has been approved relatively recently. Launching of an ICO company in this jurisdiction is an excellent choice because of the remotely available service, minimum bureaucracy, as well as the favorable attitude of the Estonian Financial Supervisory Authority (EFSA)
3. The Gibraltar jurisdiction license is based on the 2018 regulatory framework that regulates the companies of such kind and the  distributed ledger technologies (DLTs).  
4. Labuan, in addition to the Forex license, also offers a credit token business.
5. The e-payments license in Singapore is a good option for entering the European crypto-currency market, and promoting ICO companies.
6. The UK is a jurisdiction where you can launch your crypto exchange company quickly and legally.
7. Crypto-currency exchanges of Switzerland are truly legendary and remain on top of the list of the best and most pro-active exchanges in the world.

License for an Offshore Investment Fund

Investment is one of the common niches in business planning which in 2021 is available to both legal entities and individuals. Managing the investment portfolio in a foreign country involves obtaining a special financial license. 

Issuance of such a document in the offshore, onshore and mid-shore jurisdictions is most often performed by the special state institutions and rarely by non-governmental organizations. The procedure for obtaining a license for a fund is quite similar in the offshore and other states, and the licensee must prove their level of professionalism in this field.

What jurisdictions grant financial licenses to the investment funds in 2021?

1. Bulgaria is a country where the crypto-currency industry is pro-actively developing, and an investment license is available in the case of fund registration.
2. The Cayman Islands offer the registration of funds and trusts, including those for non-residents of the jurisdiction.
3. Cyprus is an EU member state where the establishing of an investment fund is a priority for those who wish to receive stable income and multiply their assets by investing in well-known projects.
4. Asset management license in Hong Kong.
5. Luxembourg offers the registration of funds where the assets of investors are managed via an external company.
6. Switzerland Portfolio Management (ARIF Registration). Switzerland is known for being a friendly country, open to foreign founders and investors.

Offshore Banking Licenses

Every microloan institution, financial service provider or a large bank are competing for the clients. However, no company registration is available in this field without a financial license in 2021.

1. The Bahamas remain an attractive jurisdiction for Payment Service Providers (PSPs).
2. Belize Money Transmission License. Belize is an undisputed contender for the title of the best offshore center where large and small financial institutions are trying to take their place. 
3. The Czech Republic, where the Electronic Money Institution (EMI) is able to issue and distribute electronic money together with the payment services. 
4. This country is not an offshore, but it is no less popular thanks to the availability of the service provider license. It is Georgia. The country also has many extra privileges for foreign businessmen, including citizenship for real estate investments.
5. Labuan is a special region of Malaysia that is known as an offshore with zero and low taxes, as well as access to financial licenses.
6. In order to establish an electronic money institution (EMI) or a e(PI) in Lithuania, you will need to obtain a license from the Bank of the Jurisdiction. 

Offshore Financial Services Licenses by the Offshore Pro Group Professionals

If you are interested in an offshore financial services license, we would like to offer our assistance in achieving your goal in just five simple steps: