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Crypto Licensing Services.

End-to-end crypto licensing engagements across 17 jurisdictions. Strategy, jurisdiction selection, company formation, AML/KYC programme, regulator application, banking and post-licence supervision — under one project manager.

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What we do

Crypto licensing — the full engagement, not pieces of it.

Most clients ask can it be done; the right question is will the regulator agree, and will my bank accept it. Our service answers both. Each engagement covers jurisdiction selection, company formation and substance, an AML/KYC programme calibrated to the regulator’s actual reading list, the application file itself, regulator engagement through RFI cycles, banking, and the year-one supervision calendar. The same partner who scopes the engagement at kickoff signs off on the year-one external audit.

We work across EU MiCA CASP, UK FCA cryptoasset registration, US FinCEN MSB and state Money Transmitter Licences, UAE VARA, Singapore MAS MPI, Hong Kong SFC VATP, Switzerland FINMA, and the offshore BVI VASP, Cayman VASP and Jersey VCC regimes. AML/KYC programme drafting and EMI / PSP authorisation run alongside as parallel workstreams when needed.

Crypto licensing by business model

Eleven verticals, eleven different regulatory perimeters. Pick the page that matches the model — each opens a full service guide with credible jurisdictions, costs and a five-stage process.

Crypto exchange

VATP, MPI, VARA, MTL, MiCA CASP. The most demanding regulatory perimeter in the industry.

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Crypto custody

TCSP, FINMA, ADGM, Wyoming SPDI, Jersey. Institutional-grade custody with capital, audit and tech-stack obligations.

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DeFi protocol

BVI / Cayman foundation, operating SPV, token classification. Structuring more than licensing in most cases.

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Crypto wallet

Custodial vs non-custodial determines everything. Custodial = full custody licensing; non-custodial often outside.

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Token issuer (ICO / STO)

BVI foundation + Swiss or Liechtenstein SPV. Securities-law analysis is half the engagement.

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Crypto payments

EMI + crypto licence in the same group. Double regulatory layer; one licence rarely enough.

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Stablecoin issuer

MiCA EMT / ART, HKMA stablecoin, NYDFS limited-purpose trust. Highest scrutiny segment in 2026.

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OTC desk

Switzerland VQF SRO, UAE VARA dealer, Hong Kong VA dealer. Quieter regulatory zone but jurisdiction-specific carve-outs.

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Crypto broker

DMCC, FINMA fintech, MAS SPI, AFSL. Close to exchange but distinct regime in many jurisdictions.

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NFT marketplace

Many marketplaces fall outside licensing — depends on whether they handle fiat, custody or financialised assets.

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Crypto startup / MVP

Georgia FIZ + VASP, Panama, El Salvador. Speed and cost over prestige in year one.

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Crypto licensing terminology — quick glossary

Eight acronyms that drive every crypto licensing engagement. Click through to the live page where the licence is obtained.

CASP Crypto-Asset Service Provider

EU MiCA authorisation that lets a regulated entity provide crypto services across all 27 EU and 3 EEA states under a single passportable licence.

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VASP Virtual Asset Service Provider

FATF-aligned registration regime applied in offshore jurisdictions (BVI, Cayman, Georgia, Montenegro, Bosnia) for exchange, custody and transfer services.

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VATP Virtual Asset Trading Platform

Hong Kong SFC licence for centralised crypto exchanges. Combines AMLO conduct rules with SFO investor-protection rules; usually paired with a TCSP for client-asset custody.

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MSB Money Services Business

US federal AML registration with FinCEN. Baseline for any crypto activity in the United States; not enough on its own — state Money Transmitter Licences sit on top.

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MTL Money Transmitter License

US state licence required to transmit money or virtual currency. Each state runs its own regime, with surety-bond and capital requirements per state. NYDFS BitLicense sits alongside the MTL stack for New York.

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EMI E-Money Institution

Authorisation to issue e-money and provide payment services. Used by crypto-payment processors and stablecoin issuers in the EU and UK alongside a CASP or FCA cryptoasset registration.

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VARA Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority

Dubai’s dedicated virtual-asset regulator. Operates a four-category licence regime — advisory, broker-dealer, exchange and custody — under a single Dubai-mainland framework.

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DPT Digital Payment Token Service

Singapore MAS framework under the Payment Services Act for crypto activity. Sits alongside Major Payment Institution (MPI) and Standard Payment Institution (SPI) licences.

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How crypto licensing works — the eight-stage client journey

Every engagement runs through the same eight stages from kickoff to authorisation. Named deliverables at each stage. Regulator-grade acceptance bar.

  1. 01

    Strategy and gap analysis

    Map the business model to credible licence categories. Score capital, timeline, banking risk and post-licence supervision burden.

  2. 02

    Jurisdiction selection

    Compare two-to-three credible options on cost, speed, banking access and counterparty trust. Decision committed in writing.

  3. 03

    Company formation and substance

    Local entity, resident director, registered office, AML officer. All set up in parallel to compress the timeline.

  4. 04

    Documents and compliance pack

    Beneficial-ownership chain, source-of-funds file, CVs, fit-and-proper, business plan, three-year financials.

  5. 05

    AML / KYC programme

    Risk assessment, transaction-monitoring rules, sanctions screening, MLRO matrix, FATF Travel Rule integration.

  6. 06

    Application submission

    Application file built to the actual reading list of the regulator’s examiners — not a generic template. Covering memo addresses common RFI triggers.

  7. 07

    Regulator engagement

    Weekly status, RFI responses inside the published service-level windows, regulator-meeting prep and rehearsal.

  8. 08

    Authorisation and onboarding

    Banking, payment rails, audit-firm appointment, year-one supervision calendar locked in.

Crypto licensing by jurisdiction

Seventeen jurisdictions where we run live engagements, grouped by region. Each country page covers the regulator, license types, requirements, capital, timeline and post-licence reality.

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.

United Arab Emirates

Regulator
VARA / FSRA (ADGM) / DMCC / DFSA (DIFC)
Timeline
9–14 months (VARA) · 6–10 months (ADGM)
Min. capital
USD 135,000–272,000 depending on category
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Pricing

Fixed-scope quote at engagement.

One number at engagement covers the full scope: regulator fee, capital indication, legal fees, year-one substance (resident director, registered office, AML officer where required), and the first year of ongoing supervision. We do not bill licensing engagements on a partner-rate timesheet — the fee is committed upfront. Tax and locally-admitted-counsel work are separately scoped where applicable.

Frequently asked questions about crypto licensing services

What does Crypto Licensing Services cover?

A complete crypto licensing engagement: jurisdiction strategy, company formation and substance, AML/KYC programme, regulator application file, banking, and post-licence supervision. The same project manager runs the file from kickoff to year-one audit.

Who is this service for?

Centralised exchanges, custodians, brokers, OTC desks, payment processors, stablecoin issuers, token issuers, DeFi front-end operators, NFT marketplaces, wallet providers and crypto-native startups. Eleven business-model pages explain the specific licence stack for each.

Which jurisdictions are available?

Seventeen jurisdictions across MENA, APAC, Europe, the Americas and offshore. The full list and regional grouping is below — pick the country for capital, timeline and regulator detail.

What documents will I need?

A standard application file requires beneficial-ownership chain, source-of-funds documentation, director CVs, fit-and-proper questionnaires, business plan with three-year financials, AML/KYC programme manual and a technology architecture description. The exact set varies by jurisdiction and licence type.

How long does the process take?

Crypto licensing timelines range from 1–3 weeks (Panama under general law) to 18–24 months (NYDFS BitLicense). Most regimes take 8–14 weeks (offshore VASP) or 6–12 months (Tier-1 onshore). The variance comes from RFI cycles and the quality of the application file at submission.

What stages does crypto licensing include?

Eight stages: strategy and gap analysis; jurisdiction selection; company formation and substance; documents and compliance pack; AML/KYC programme; application submission; regulator engagement; authorisation and onboarding. Each stage has named deliverables.

How much do crypto licensing services cost?

We provide a fixed-scope quote at engagement that covers regulator fee, capital indication, legal fees, year-one substance and the first year of ongoing supervision. We do not bill on a partner-rate timesheet for licensing engagements — the fee is committed upfront.

What is the difference between VASP, CASP, MSB, MTL, EMI and PSP?

VASP is the FATF-aligned offshore framework; CASP is the EU MiCA framework; MSB is the US FinCEN federal AML registration; MTL is the per-state Money Transmitter Licence in the US; EMI is the European E-Money Institution authorisation for fiat issuance; PSP refers to payment-service-provider regimes more broadly. The eight-acronym glossary below and each business-type page explain which combination applies.

Pick the service that matches your model.

Send a short brief on the model, target customers, capital tolerance and banking strategy. We come back within 24 hours with a tailored shortlist and a fixed-scope quote.

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