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A Pacific licence family that lets one dealing company add forex, securities, derivatives and digital assets class by class, used by brokers serving international clients from Vanuatu.
Selected engagements from more than 250 licences obtained since 2013, for payment, e-money and cryptoasset firms.
Volkswagen
Payment InstitutionObtained Nexpay’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Electronic Money InstitutionObtained Dzing Finance’s FCA Authorised Electronic Money Institution licence.
Obtained Orbital’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Our realistic timeline from submission to decision.
Client money and liquidity provider accounts opened alongside the application, so you trade on authorisation.
We assemble your team: a resident manager, compliance officer and MLRO.
The licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing for your business.
You will need directors and managers with five years’ dealing experience, one living in Vanuatu six months a year or a licensed manager, a compliance officer and an MLRO.
One programme, from scoping to launch. Speak to an expert about this licence.
Requirements, capital, timing, fees and common questions, drawn from the regulator’s own publications.
A business dealing in securities in or from Vanuatu needs a financial dealers licence: forex and CFD brokers, securities and commodities dealers, derivatives platforms and, under Class D, digital asset dealers. The licence is issued to the dealing company as a principal licence; the individuals who deal for it hold representative licences, and a resident licensed manager may be engaged in place of a local office. The 2021 amendments to the Act and the licensing guidelines in force since 16 October 2021 set the residency, experience and deposit requirements described here.
| Class | Dealing covered | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Class A | Debenture stock, loan stock, bonds, certificates of deposit, proceeds of foreign exchange | Principal licence; separate application and fees |
| Class B | Shares, proceeds of precious metals or commodities, rights to subscribe for shares or debt securities, depositary receipts | Principal licence; separate application and fees |
| Class C | Futures contracts and derivative products, options over securities, certain forward-delivery contracts | Principal licence; separate application and fees |
| Class D | Dealing in digital assets | Issued only to a holder of a Class A, B or C principal licence |
Each class is a separate application with its own application and licence fee; the Act gives no discount for holding several classes. Representative licences for individuals and the licensed manager licence carry the same fee scale as the principal licence.
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Security deposit | VT 5,000,000 per principal licence |
| Minimum share capital | No fixed figure in the Act; paid-up capital in a hard currency, evidenced by a certified bank statement, plus six months’ capital expenditure |
| Financial position | Total assets exceeding total liabilities, with capital sufficient to cover expected losses and capital expenditure over the first three years |
The deposit is called for only after the Commission has assessed the key persons as fit and proper, and may count toward capital. The Act sets no fixed share capital figure; the Commission assesses the paid-up capital against the three-year projections in the application.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory decision period | No statutory period; the Commissioner grants the licence, with or without conditions, or refuses it | Financial Dealers Licensing Act [CAP 70], section 4(3A) |
| Regulator’s published figure | 3 weeks, about 0.75 months, from receipt of all required information, the Commission’s stated service aim; timing depends on complexity, application quality and the speed of responses | VFSC guidance notes for application |
| Application preparation | 6 to 8 weeks | From instruction to submission, including banking in parallel |
| Our realistic timeline | 3 to 4 months after submission; the three-week aim runs only once the fit and proper assessment is complete and all information is in | Our own figure, from the regulator’s published data and our applications |
Regulator figures are quoted as published and converted to months. Our realistic timeline assumes a complete, well-prepared application.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | VT 50,000 | Per class, on application |
| Licence fee | VT 100,000 | Per class, on grant |
| Annual fee | VT 500,000 | Due by the anniversary of incorporation; a late payment adds 10% per month of default, capped at 50% |
| Representative licence | VT 50,000 / VT 100,000 / VT 500,000 | Application, licence and annual fee per individual |
| Licensed manager licence | VT 50,000 / VT 100,000 / VT 500,000 | Application, licence and annual fee |
| Security deposit | VT 5,000,000 | Lodged with the Commissioner before grant |
| Professional fees | Fixed | Quoted after scoping |
The licence covers dealing in securities in or from Vanuatu. The Act places no restriction on serving clients outside Vanuatu, and the licence is used by brokers serving international clients from a Vanuatu company. It is a Vanuatu licence only: a firm that markets to clients in the United Kingdom or the European Union needs the FCA authorisation or an EU investment firm authorisation for those markets, and we obtain each.
The Act and the Commission’s guidelines set out what the Commissioner looks for before granting a licence.
A dealing firm needs client money accounts separated from its own funds, operating accounts in its base currency and settlement accounts in the currencies it quotes, together with onboarding at one or more liquidity providers or prime brokers before the first trade. Each institution reviews the licence, the financial crime framework and the flow of funds before opening an account. We open the accounts and complete the liquidity provider onboarding alongside the application, so you trade on authorisation. See banking and payment processing.
There is no statutory period. The Commission aims to decide within three weeks of receiving all required information; we plan for three to four months after submission, covering the fit and proper assessment, the residency evidence and the deposit call.
VT 50,000 on application and VT 100,000 on grant for each class, VT 500,000 a year thereafter, and a VT 5,000,000 security deposit lodged with the Commissioner.
Either a manager or director who lives in Vanuatu for six months of each year, with an office there, or a licensed manager engaged in Vanuatu.
Forex falls under Class A and digital assets under Class D, which is issued only to a holder of a Class A, B or C licence. Each class is a separate application with its own fees.
The Act covers dealing in or from Vanuatu and places no restriction on foreign clients. Serving clients in regulated markets such as the UK or the EU requires authorisation in those markets.
A regulatory advisory firm to payment, e-money and cryptoasset companies since 2013, with more than 250 licences obtained in more than 60 countries. The firm builds licensed payment, e-money, crypto and stablecoin businesses: the licence, the team, the technology, the bank accounts and card issuing.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements and fees change, and the regulator’s own publications take precedence.
The licence, your team, banking and technology, delivered as one programme.