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National Supervisory Authority & Licensing Qualification Dossier • Offshore Financial Centre

BVIFSC

Cayman Islands / Bermuda / British Virgin Islands / Bahamas / Mauritius / Seychelles / Vanuatu

British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission

Offshore SupervisorCayman Islands / Bermuda / British Virgin Islands / Bahamas / Mauritius / Seychelles / VanuatuEst. 2002Contractual Custody & Segregated Trust Accounts (No Statutory Retail Compensation Fund)
Supervisory tier
Offshore
License classes
2
Licensed records
16
Active / regulated
5

Statutory Supervisory Mandate & Scope

Supervises Securities Investment Business licensees, Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), mutual and private investment funds, captive insurers, and international brokerage entities.

Prudential Tier Assessment

Offshore

Recognised international offshore financial centre supervisor regulating global hedge funds, institutional prime vehicles, digital asset exchanges, and cross-border securities dealers.

Sovereign Jurisdiction: Cayman Islands / Bermuda / British Virgin Islands / Bahamas / Mauritius / Seychelles / Vanuatu (Offshore Financial Centre)

National licensing qualifications & statutory authorisation classes (BVIFSC)

Authorisation categories, permitted institutional and retail activities, minimum initial capital adequacy, and ongoing prudential solvency rules enforced by BVIFSC in Cayman Islands / Bermuda / British Virgin Islands / Bahamas / Mauritius / Seychelles / Vanuatu.

License class / codeOfficial designationPermitted institutional & retail activitiesMinimum initial / base capitalOngoing prudential & solvency rule
Full Service / Market Maker Securities DealerSecurities Investment Business / Investment Dealer (Full Service Dealer Including Underwriting)Acting as principal or market maker in securities, FX, CFDs, and commodities; executing client orders and managing portfolios.USD $50,000 (Seychelles FSA SD / Vanuatu VFSC Class A–D statutory bond) to MUR 10,000,000 (~USD $220,000 Mauritius Full Service Dealer) or USD $300,000+ (Bahamas SCB / Cayman CIMA / Bermuda BMA).Maintenance of unimpaired minimum net capital, local physical office and resident directors/MLRO, and Professional Indemnity Insurance.
VASP / Digital Asset Business (Class F / DARE)Virtual Asset Service Provider & Digital Asset Exchange / Custodian LicenceOperating a virtual asset trading platform, digital asset derivatives exchange, custodial wallet service, or token issuance.USD $100,000 to USD $1,000,000+ risk-based capital depending on custody volume and exchange turnover.Cybersecurity penetration testing, cold/hot wallet segregation, independent custody audit, and quarterly regulatory filings.

Investor compensation, client money segregation & digital-asset regime

Statutory counterparty protections, custody reconciliation mandates, and virtual-asset licensing status under BVIFSC.

Investor CompensationStatutory Scheme

Contractual Custody & Segregated Trust Accounts (No Statutory Retail Compensation Fund)

Maximum coverage per client
EUR €0 / USD $0 statutory government compensation scheme (protection relies on segregated client trust accounts, minimum paid-up capital/bonds, and Professional Indemnity Insurance)
Eligible counterparties & scope
Global cross-border retail and institutional clients onboarded outside restricted onshore jurisdictions (US, UK, Japan, Canada typically excluded by terms of business).
Client Money & CustodyRing-Fenced

CIMA Statement of Guidance on Client Assets / Mauritius Securities Rules / Seychelles Securities (Conduct of Business) Regulations

Reconciliation & audit cadence
Mandatory separation of client funds from proprietary operating accounts; periodic reconciliation audited annually.
Approved custodian requirements
Client moneys must be held in designated client trust accounts at approved domestic or international commercial banks.
Digital Assets & VASPDedicated statutory digital asset licensing regimes used by top global institutional crypto derivatives exchanges, custodians, and tokenized funds.

Cayman VASP Act, Bermuda DABA Class F/M & Bahamas DARE Act 2024

Travel Rule, custody & stablecoin rules
Full FATF Recommendation 15 & 16 AML/CFT and Travel Rule compliance supervised via annual AML audits.

Primary Governing Statutes & Rulebooks

  • Cayman Islands Securities Investment Business Act (SIBA) & Virtual Asset (Service Providers) Act (VASP Act)
  • Bermuda Digital Asset Business Act 2018 (DABA) & Investment Business Act 2003
  • BVI Securities and Investment Business Act (SIBA) & Bahamas DARE Act 2024
  • Mauritius Financial Services Act 2007, Seychelles Securities Act 2007 & Vanuatu Financial Dealers Licensing Act [Cap 70]

Regulatory Reporting & Audit Obligations

Annual audited financial statements prepared under IFRS/US GAAP and submitted within 3 to 6 months of financial year-endMandatory appointment of an approved Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer (AMLCO) and Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO)Annual AML/CFT Independent Audit and Economic Substance (ES) annual filing

Cross-Border Equivalence & Passporting

Offshore licences permit international cross-border onboarding where lawful under reverse solicitation, but do not grant automatic onshore passporting into the US, UK, EU, or Japan.

Supervised institutions & BVIFSC licence records in our database

16 licence records referencing BVIFSC (5 regulated/registered, 1 flagged with warnings/revocations).

Filter directory by BVIFSC →
InstitutionLicence numberStatusLicensed legal entityEffective dateVerification
DerivSIBA/L/18/1114RegulatedDeriv (BVI) Ltd—
easyMarketsSIBA/L/20/1135OffshoreEF Worldwide Ltd—
bybitNot suppliedOffshoreBybit Fintech Limited2018-03
BCRSIBA/L/19/1122OffshoreBCR Co Pty Ltd—
iFOREXSIBA/L/13/1060OffshoreFormula Investment House Ltd—
BCRSIBA/L/77/1762RegulatedBCR—
GKFX PrimeSIBA/L/14/1066OffshoreTrive International Ltd.—
NiceHashNot suppliedOffshoreNiceHash2014
ZitaPlusSIBA/L/23/1162RegulatedZ Trading & Technology Inc.--
GKFX PrimeSIBA/L/1066RegulatedInternational Finance House Ltd2012
SGTSIBA/L/11/0987OffshoreSterling Gent Trading Ltd.—
Markets4youSIBA/L/12/1027OffshoreE-Global Trade & Finance Group, Inc.—
FTDSIBA/L/19/1123OffshoreFTD Limited--
Forex4youNot suppliedRegulatedE-Global Trade & Finance Group, Inc.—
Xend FinanceNot suppliedOffshoreXend Labs Limited2019
InstaForexSIBA/L/14/1082Suspected cloneInstaFinance Ltd—

BVIFSC (Cayman Islands / Bermuda / British Virgin Islands / Bahamas / Mauritius / Seychelles / Vanuatu): institutional licensing & due diligence FAQ

Key statutory capital, compensation, custody segregation, and verification answers for compliance teams.

What are the primary licensing classes and minimum capital requirements under BVIFSC (Cayman Islands / Bermuda / British Virgin Islands / Bahamas / Mauritius / Seychelles / Vanuatu)?

BVIFSC (British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission) supervises financial institutions in Cayman Islands / Bermuda / British Virgin Islands / Bahamas / Mauritius / Seychelles / Vanuatu under Cayman Islands Securities Investment Business Act (SIBA) & Virtual Asset (Service Providers) Act (VASP Act) and Bermuda Digital Asset Business Act 2018 (DABA) & Investment Business Act 2003. Key statutory authorisation classes include: Full Service / Market Maker Securities Dealer (Securities Investment Business / Investment Dealer (Full Service Dealer Including Underwriting) — min. capital: USD $50,000 (Seychelles FSA SD / Vanuatu VFSC Class A–D statutory bond) to MUR 10,000,000 (~USD $220,000 Mauritius Full Service Dealer) or USD $300,000+ (Bahamas SCB / Cayman CIMA / Bermuda BMA).); VASP / Digital Asset Business (Class F / DARE) (Virtual Asset Service Provider & Digital Asset Exchange / Custodian Licence — min. capital: USD $100,000 to USD $1,000,000+ risk-based capital depending on custody volume and exchange turnover.). Ongoing prudential supervision requires strict adherence to capital adequacy and liquidity buffers.

Does BVIFSC provide statutory investor compensation and mandatory client asset segregation?

Under BVIFSC's framework, investor protection is governed by Contractual Custody & Segregated Trust Accounts (No Statutory Retail Compensation Fund) with maximum coverage of EUR €0 / USD $0 statutory government compensation scheme (protection relies on segregated client trust accounts, minimum paid-up capital/bonds, and Professional Indemnity Insurance) (Global cross-border retail and institutional clients onboarded outside restricted onshore jurisdictions (US, UK, Japan, Canada typically excluded by terms of business).). For client money and custody assets, supervised firms must comply with CIMA Statement of Guidance on Client Assets / Mauritius Securities Rules / Seychelles Securities (Conduct of Business) Regulations, performing mandatory separation of client funds from proprietary operating accounts; periodic reconciliation audited annually. with client moneys must be held in designated client trust accounts at approved domestic or international commercial banks..

How does BVIFSC regulate digital assets, crypto exchanges (VASPs/CASPs), and stablecoins?

BVIFSC's digital-asset regime is structured around Cayman VASP Act, Bermuda DABA Class F/M & Bahamas DARE Act 2024 (Dedicated statutory digital asset licensing regimes used by top global institutional crypto derivatives exchanges, custodians, and tokenized funds.). Custody and AML/CFT compliance obligations require: Full FATF Recommendation 15 & 16 AML/CFT and Travel Rule compliance supervised via annual AML audits.

How can I verify an institution's BVIFSC licence number and check our 16 recorded licence entries?

Our database currently tracks 16 licence records referencing BVIFSC (5 marked regulated or registered). To verify a counterparty at the primary source, open BVIFSC's official public register (https://www.bvifsc.vg/regulated-entities?combine&field_entity_status_tid[0]=72), search by the exact reference number and legal entity name, and confirm that the firm's domain and permitted activities match its statutory authorisation.

Research and compliance analysis from Sovereign Tax Atlas relevant to BVIFSC and Cayman Islands / Bermuda / British Virgin Islands / Bahamas / Mauritius / Seychelles / Vanuatu.

All briefings →

Sovereign

Jurisdictional Regulatory Atlas: SCDEX Global Digital Exchange (1312 17th St, Denver CO) FinCEN MSB 31000343978539 Footprint

Official U.S. Treasury FinCEN MSB Registration Status Information transcript (dated October 26, 2026; authorized October 19, 2026) confirms SCDEX GLOBAL DIGITAL EXCHANGE (DBA: SCDEX, https://scdex.com/), headquartered at 1312 17th Street Suite 692, Denver, CO 80202, holds FinCEN MSB Registration No. 31000343978539 across all 9 MSB activities and All States/Territories & Foreign alongside NFA ID 0582319.

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Sovereign

Jurisdictional Regulatory Atlas: DollarTon, Inc. (100 Church Street, NY) All-States FinCEN MSB 31000343978532 Analysis

Official regulatory verification confirms DollarTon, Inc. (https://dollarton.com/), headquartered at 100 Church Street, New York, NY 10007, holds U.S. Treasury FinCEN MSB Registration No. 31000343978532 under 31 CFR 1022.380(a)-(f) across all 50 U.S. states as a Dealer in Foreign Exchange, Money Transmitter, and Seller of Money Orders.

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Sovereign

Jurisdictional Regulatory Atlas: DollarTon, Inc. (100 Church Street, NY) All-States FinCEN MSB 31000343978532 Analysis

Official regulatory verification confirms DollarTon, Inc. (https://dollarton.com/), headquartered at 100 Church Street, New York, NY 10007, holds U.S. Treasury FinCEN MSB Registration No. 31000343978532 under 31 CFR 1022.380(a)-(f) across all 50 U.S. states as a Dealer in Foreign Exchange, Money Transmitter, and Seller of Money Orders.

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Tax & Treaties

OECD Pillar Two 15% Global Minimum Tax & Withholding Atlas: 2026 Definitive Institutional Guide, Quantitative Benchmarks & Regulatory Audit

Definitive 2026 flagship cornerstone guide to OECD Pillar Two 15% Global Minimum Tax & Withholding Atlas on Sovereign Tax Atlas (globaltaxatlas.org). Covers OECD Inclusive Framework / US Treasury / EU Council Directive 2022/2523 statutory rules, Tier-1 quantitative benchmarks, mathematical formulation (OECD-PILLAR2-ATLAS), and compliance verification.

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Statutory licensing classes, base capital rules, and investor protection summaries for BVIFSC (Cayman Islands / Bermuda / British Virgin Islands / Bahamas / Mauritius / Seychelles / Vanuatu) are maintained for institutional benchmarking and do not constitute legal advice. Always verify current rulebooks and active firm authorisations directly on BVIFSC’s official public register.