Get Licensed by the Seychelles FSA
The Seychelles Financial Services Authority licenses a wide range of regulated activities, including forex, securities, investment funds, virtual asset services, and gambling. We help you identify the licence your business actually needs, guide you through the application process, and give you a clear picture of the licensing requirements, costs, and ongoing compliance obligations before you begin.
What is a Seychelles financial services licence?
There is no single "financial services licence" in Seychelles. The term covers a family of separate authorisations issued by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the regulator for non-bank financial activity established under the Financial Services Authority Act 2013. The FSA supervises capital markets, collective investment schemes, fiduciary services, insurance and gambling, and it runs the registries for companies, foundations and trusts. To carry on any regulated activity in or from Seychelles, you need the specific licence that matches what you do, held inside a Seychelles company that meets the FSA's standards.
Which licences does the FSA issue?
Pick the activity that matches your business and go to the dedicated page for the full requirements:
Securities Dealer Licence - deal in securities as principal or agent. In practice this is the licence for forex and CFD brokerages. US$100,000 minimum paid-up capital.
Forex / Forex Broker Licence - the same Securities Dealer Licence, used specifically to run a retail forex brokerage. This is what most people mean by a "Seychelles forex licence".
Investment Adviser Licence - give advice, analysis and portfolio recommendations without holding client funds. Lower capital (around US$25,000) because you never custody assets.
Investment Fund Licence - set up a private, professional or public fund (a mutual fund / collective investment scheme) under the Mutual Fund and Hedge Fund Act.
Fund Administrator Licence - provide administration, NAV calculation and registrar services to funds.
Crypto / VASP Licence - run a virtual asset exchange, custody or transfer service under the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act 2024, in force since 1 September 2024.
Interactive Gambling Licence - run online gaming or betting under the Seychelles Gambling Act 2014 and the Interactive Gambling Rules 2024.
Payment Service Provider (PSP) - process electronic payments. Note that PSP and e-money authorisation in Seychelles sits with the Central Bank of Seychelles under the National Payment System Act, not the FSA, so the route differs from the FSA licences above.
Who is it for?
Good fit: founders who are ready to run a regulated financial business - a forex or CFD broker, a fund, an advisory firm, a crypto exchange or a licensed gaming operator - and who can fund real capital and local substance from day one.
Not a fit: anyone testing an idea who isn't yet taking client money, anyone who needs a tier-1 badge (FCA, CySEC, ASIC) for institutional clients, and anyone who can't meet the capital and substance bar. An unlicensed Seychelles IBC is fine for unregulated trading or holding, but it cannot legally take client funds or carry on a regulated activity. If that's where you are, start with an IBC and licence later.
What it actually costs - read this first
Most pages quote a single low number for a "Seychelles financial services licence". We won't, because no honest number exists for the whole category. Our engagement fee - incorporation, application assembly, review and FSA liaison - starts at US$15,000. That is a fraction of the true cost. On top of it you fund the licence-specific paid-up capital (from around US$25,000 for an adviser up to US$100,000+ for a securities dealer), the FSA's own application and annual fees, resident directors plus a compliance officer and an MLRO, a physical office, professional indemnity insurance, an auditor, and ongoing compliance. A realistic all-in budget for a live, compliant licence runs from the mid-six figures into seven figures in the first year, depending on the licence. If your budget is below that, the licence is probably not the right step yet - and we'll tell you so before you spend anything.
What the FSA Requires
The exact thresholds vary by licence, but the pattern is consistent:
A Seychelles company to hold the licence, often structured as a Special Licence Company (CSL) for the 1.5% tax rate and treaty access
Licence-specific paid-up capital held in an approved bank (for example US$100,000 for a securities dealer, around US$25,000 for an adviser, from US$50,000 for some VASP services)
At least two fit-and-proper directors, with resident participation expected for genuine substance
A qualified compliance officer and a Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) - in-house or outsourced
A physical office in Seychelles and local staff appropriate to the activity
A detailed business plan, financial projections and an AML/CFT framework
Professional indemnity insurance where the licence requires it
Audited annual accounts and ongoing reporting to the FSA
Fit-and-proper documents for each director and shareholder: certified passport, CV, qualifications, police clearance, bank and professional references, and proof of source of capital
What's Included in Our Seychelles Financial Services Licence Package
What our engagement fee covers, whichever FSA licence you're applying for:
Incorporation of the Seychelles company (commonly structured as a CSL)
Registered office in Victoria
Company name reservation and constitutional documents
Help preparing the business plan and financial projections
AML/CFT and compliance manual templates
Assembling and reviewing the full FSA application pack
Submitting and liaising with the FSA through to a decision
Coordinating fit-and-proper documentation for directors and shareholders
Introductions for resident directors, compliance officer, MLRO and auditor where needed
Guidance on the capital deposit and bank requirements
Not included
the paid-up capital itself · resident director and staff salaries · office lease · professional indemnity premiums · audit fees · the FSA's own application and annual fees · ongoing post-licence compliance.
How It Works
01.
Scoping call
We confirm your business model and pin down which licence you actually need (securities dealer, fund, adviser, VASP, gambling), or whether an unlicensed IBC is enough for now.
02.
Company formation
We incorporate your Seychelles company and put the registered office in place.
03.
Application build
We prepare the business plan and AML/CFT framework and gather fit-and-proper documents for every director and shareholder.
04.
Capital and substance
You deposit the required capital and we help line up resident directors, a compliance officer and an MLRO.
05.
FSA submission
We submit the complete application and respond to the regulator's questions on your behalf.
06.
Licence and launch
On approval (commonly three to four months in for most licences), you appoint an auditor, meet the post-licence conditions and begin operating; we stay on to handle your renewals and filings.
Seychelles Financial Services Licence Pricing
Engagement fee
from
Incorporation, application assembly, review and FSA liaison.
You also budget for:
Licence-specific paid-up capital (from around US$25,000 to US$100,000+)
FSA application and annual fees
Resident directors, compliance officer and MLRO
Physical office and professional indemnity insurance
Auditor and ongoing compliance
Realistic first-year all-in: varies widely by licence, commonly mid-six to seven figures.
Pairs Well With
What Our Clients Say
Not sure which Seychelles licence you need?
Book a free scoping call. We'll tell you honestly which FSA licence fits your model, whether you're ready for it, and the full cost and timeline before you commit a cent.