Crypto license by country
All 17 jurisdictions — one project manager.
Pick a jurisdiction by what you actually need: capital, timeline, banking access or institutional credibility. Each country page covers the regulator, license types, requirements, process and post-licence reality.
Jurisdictions by region
Five regional clusters cover the 17 jurisdictions where we run live engagements. Click through to a country for the full Quick Facts table, requirements and process.
MENA crypto licensing
United Arab Emirates and other Gulf jurisdictions. UAE alone runs four parallel frameworks (VARA, ADGM, DMCC, DIFC), each with a distinct supervisory style.
APAC crypto licensing
Singapore (MAS), Hong Kong (SFC + HKMA), Australia (AUSTRAC + ASIC). Mature regimes with strong counterparty networks across Asia.
Australia
- Regulator
- AUSTRAC + ASIC
- Timeline
- DCE 6–12 weeks · AFSL 6–9 months
- Min. capital
- AFSL: AUD 50,000–200,000 · DCE: none
Hong Kong
- Regulator
- SFC + HKMA + Companies Registry (TCSP)
- Timeline
- 12+ months (VATP)
- Min. capital
- VATP: HKD 5–10M paid-up + HKD 3M liquid
Singapore
- Regulator
- Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
- Timeline
- 9–12 months
- Min. capital
- MPI: SGD 250,000 · SPI: SGD 100,000
Europe crypto licensing — CASP and beyond
EU MiCA passportable CASP licences plus the United Kingdom (FCA), Switzerland (FINMA + SRO), Gibraltar (DLT), Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Montenegro
- Regulator
- Local regulator (regime evolving)
- Timeline
- 8–12 weeks
- Min. capital
- None significant
United Kingdom
- Regulator
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
- Timeline
- 12–18 months (FCA)
- Min. capital
- EMI: GBP 350,000
Gibraltar
- Regulator
- Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC)
- Timeline
- 16–24 weeks
- Min. capital
- Substance-based
Switzerland
- Regulator
- FINMA + SROs (e.g. VQF)
- Timeline
- SRO 2–3 months · Fintech 6–9 months · Banking 12–18 months
- Min. capital
- Fintech: CHF 300,000 · Banking: CHF 10,000,000 · SRO: none
Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Regulator
- Local regulator (regime evolving)
- Timeline
- 8–10 weeks
- Min. capital
- None significant
Georgia
- Regulator
- NBG / FIZ administrators
- Timeline
- 4–6 weeks
- Min. capital
- None for FIZ
Americas crypto licensing
United States (FinCEN MSB + state MTL + NYDFS BitLicense + Wyoming SPDI), Canada (FINTRAC), El Salvador (DASP / BSP), Panama.
Canada
- Regulator
- FINTRAC + AMF (Quebec)
- Timeline
- 8–12 weeks
- Min. capital
- None statutory
El Salvador
- Regulator
- CNAD (National Commission of Digital Assets)
- Timeline
- 4–8 weeks
- Min. capital
- None statutory / model-dependent
Panama
- Regulator
- No crypto-specific regulator (general law)
- Timeline
- 1–3 weeks (incorporation)
- Min. capital
- None
United States
- Regulator
- FinCEN + 50 state regulators + NYDFS + SEC
- Timeline
- FinCEN: weeks · MTL: 6–18 months · BitLicense: 18–24 months
- Min. capital
- BitLicense: USD 5,000 application + capital model · SPDI: USD 5,000,000+
Offshore crypto licensing
British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Jersey — supervised offshore for token issuers, foundations, custodians and treasury vehicles.
British Virgin Islands
- Regulator
- BVI Financial Services Commission
- Timeline
- 8–12 weeks
- Min. capital
- None statutory; substance-based
Cayman Islands
- Regulator
- CIMA (Cayman Islands Monetary Authority)
- Timeline
- 10–16 weeks
- Min. capital
- Substance-based
Jersey
- Regulator
- Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC)
- Timeline
- 12–20 weeks
- Min. capital
- Substance-based
Frequently asked questions
How many crypto license jurisdictions are there in 2026?
There are 25+ jurisdictions with a meaningful crypto licensing or registration regime in 2026. We work in 17 of them — the ones where the regulator is approachable, the post-licence reality is workable and the banking ecosystem actually functions.
Which jurisdiction is best for a crypto exchange?
For an institutional centralised exchange the credible shortlist is UAE (VARA), Singapore (MAS MPI) and Hong Kong (SFC VATP). Switzerland (FINMA fintech) and EU MiCA member states (Lithuania first) are credible alternatives.
Which is the cheapest crypto license?
El Salvador (DASP), Georgia (FIZ + VASP), Panama and Bosnia & Herzegovina lead on total first-year cost. The full ranking is on our cheapest crypto license comparison page.
Do offshore crypto licenses still work in 2026?
Supervised offshore (BVI, Cayman, Jersey) still works for token issuers, custodians and treasury vehicles. Lightly-supervised offshore (Seychelles, Anjouan, Vanuatu) has lost meaningful counterparty trust since 2024 and is harder to bank.
Not sure which jurisdiction fits your project?
A free 30-minute jurisdiction assessment maps your business model to the credible options, with capital and timeline figures.