The past two years have seen a global pivot toward heavy-duty virtual-asset regulation. Europe rolled out the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, Dubai launched the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA license), and Singapore sharpened its Payment Services Act. Those regimes offer institutional credibility but they also introduce hefty capital thresholds, long authorisation timelines, ongoing audit duties, and the inevitability of multilayered compliance teams. Early-stage entrepreneurs, especially those who are bootstrapping a new exchange, wallet, or DeFi protocol, often discover that the entry ticket runs well into six figures and that approvals can take nine months or more. Now, there’s also the Anjouan crypto license, which is going to be our main focus in this article.
Anjouan crypto license: A fast-track alternative to VARA and MiCA
Against this backdrop, a small Indian Ocean island has emerged as a surprisingly pragmatic launching pad. Anjouan, one of the autonomous islands of the Union of the Comoros, created an International Crypto License that strips regulation back to fundamental consumer-protection concepts. The Offshore Finance Authority, which has supervised other offshore financial services since 2005, now grants crypto permissions for activities ranging from spot exchange and custody to token sales and decentralised finance.
The proposition is straightforward: applications are processed in a matter of days instead of quarters, the fee schedule fits inside a startup budget, there is no demand for paid-up share capital, and the authority does not oblige firms to employ a resident compliance officer or money-laundering reporting officer. All of this comes with a statutory tax holiday on offshore profits. For many entrepreneurs the Anjouan crypto license functions as a bridge, allowing them to prove market traction before graduating to higher-cost zones such as the United Arab Emirates or the European Economic Area. Keep reading to learn all about this license, including what type of activities it covers and the benefits it holds.
Activities covered by the Anjouan Crypto License
Anjouan opted for a single, broad licence rather than multiple tiers. Once a company receives authorisation, it can legally deliver almost every mainstream virtual-asset service contemplated by larger regulators. Below is an expanded tour of the permitted lines of business:
Crypto exchange (spot and derivatives)
Holders may run order-book or automated-market-maker platforms that facilitate crypto-to-crypto and crypto-to-fiat conversions. Leverage products, perpetual swaps, or classic futures can be offered provided that counterparty risk disclosures are issued to users.
Custodial and non-custodial wallet services
Projects can operate hot wallets for day-to-day settlement or cold-storage vaults for institutional treasuries. Non-custodial key solutions are also acceptable, giving founders the option to embed multi-party computation or hardware-based signing modules.
Brokerage and market-making
Anjouan places no cap on principal trading or inventory, which means the licence covers OTC desks and internal liquidity engines. Spread-based market makers can win rebates from larger exchanges without breaching segregation rules.
Token issuance and ICO/IDO projects
Utility tokens, governance tokens, or even asset-backed coins can be structured under a white paper that references the Anjouan licence number. The authority expects risk warnings but does not insist on the exhaustive prospectus that a MiCA offering requires.
Decentralised finance platforms
Yield farming, liquidity pools, and collateralised stablecoin vaults fall squarely inside the scope, provided the protocol publishes transparent smart-contract addresses and core terms. Anjouan does not prohibit algorithmic stablecoins, although international banking partners may request extra comfort on risk controls.
DeFi, staking, and lending protocols
Centralised or hybrid services that lend client assets can operate as long as the licence holder maintains basic segregation of programme accounts and provides evidence of cybersecurity safeguards.
Crypto payment processing
Merchants can convert Bitcoin, Ether, or stablecoins into fiat via the licensee’s rails, enabling ecommerce stores or point-of-sale applications to accept digital assets.
Because the framework groups all these verticals under a single authorisation, founders avoid the tiered application supplements seen in Dubai or Cyprus. That simplicity, combined with a fixed annual renewal, removes the risk of inadvertently exceeding activity limits.
Setup in just 1 week: No compliance officer required
Day 1: Preliminary scoping
Aston VIP arranges a video call to review the business model, shareholder residency profile, and long-term jurisdiction plans. If the founders ultimately want a VARA or MiCA passport, we design the Anjouan phase so documentation can be re-used later.
Day 2: Company incorporation
Applicants decide whether to register locally in Anjouan or maintain an existing offshore vehicle in a neutral jurisdiction such as Seychelles, BVI, or Nevis. Because the licence can be issued to non-Comorian entities, many teams choose a recognised domicile with broader banking relationships. Aston VIP files the memorandum and articles, appoints nominee directors if confidentiality is required, and secures the digital certificate of incorporation.
Day 3: Compliance statement and technical memo
Founders provide a concise description of their service flow, wallet architecture, private-key management, and projected user base. We draft a streamlined AML policy that meets the Offshore Finance Authority guidance while keeping operational drag to a minimum.
Day 4: Submission to the OFA
Our legal unit bundles the corporate registry extracts, shareholder passports, proof of address, and policies into the licence application. A processing fee is wired to the regulator.
Day 5: Authority review
The OFA usually issues follow-up queries within forty-eight hours. Typical clarifications involve details of cross-border payment rails, planned marketing geographies, or disaster-recovery procedures. Aston VIP answers these in coordination with the founders.
Day 6: Approval in principle
Once the authority is satisfied, it grants an electronic approval letter. If founders intend to open a bank account immediately, we can use this letter to trigger compliance onboarding with correspondent institutions.
Day 7: License issuance
The final certificate, signed and sealed, is emailed and couriered to the registered address. The company is now a fully licensed international crypto service provider.
From there, we supply optional value-add modules: recruitment of an outsourced compliance officer, opening of EU or Caribbean bank accounts, integration of payment-service-provider infrastructure in Cyprus, or lease of virtual servers in privacy-resilient jurisdictions.
Our working hours: Monday to Friday, 9 AM – 6 PM GMT+4
How Anjouan compares to VARA and MiCA
If you distil the three frameworks down to their core attributes, a distinct pattern emerges. Anjouan runs a light-touch, rapid-issue process, typically turning around a licence in as little as one to two weeks after the application file is complete. The permission covers the entire virtual-asset stack, from exchange execution through custody, brokerage, token issuance, DeFi, and payment processing. Neither a resident Compliance Officer nor a Money-Laundering Reporting Officer is mandatory, and the Offshore Finance Authority does not oblige annual external audits. The regime therefore suits offshore exchange operators, wallet builders, and global crypto apps that need speed, budget efficiency, and operational flexibility.
Dubai’s VARA sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. The route from provisional approval to full market-product permission is a multi-stage journey that normally runs six to twenty-four months. Every activity class is available, but founders must install a qualified CO and MLRO, maintain professional-indemnity coverage, file quarterly returns, and undergo periodic independent audits. That extra governance delivers a gold-standard stamp for ventures targeting the UAE market or planning a heavily regulated scaling strategy.
Europe’s MiCA passport occupies the same heavyweight category. National competent authorities across the EU take nine to eighteen months to grant authorisations, and the legislation hard-codes continuous transaction monitoring, suspicious-activity reporting, and a twin CO/MLRO structure. Annual audits are mandatory. For projects courting institutional investors or wanting immediate SEPA banking and EU-wide passporting, MiCA is the logical destination, albeit at a higher compliance cost. In short, Anjouan is the favourite when speed and lean budget matters most.
"Compared to VARA and MiCA, Anjouan is a clear favourite when you factor in how short the licensing process timeframe is."
Real-world use cases from the Aston VIP client base
West African mobile-money exchange
A Nigerian founder wanted a Binance-style platform tailored for CFA-zone users, with M-Pesa and Airtel Money on-ramps. Traditional African central-bank licensing would have required multiple country approvals. By incorporating in Seychelles and securing the Anjouan Crypto License, the startup launched inside six weeks, processed twelve million dollars in trading volume in its first quarter, and later secured seed funding from a Dubai family office.
Latin American OTC desk
A Brazilian trading syndicate needed an entity capable of conducting large bitcoin buys for local miners and hedge funds. Domestic regulation remains unclear, and the banks requested an international licence. Anjouan provided the legal foundation, plus Aston VIP’s Cyprus PSP structure to collect Brazilian real via a European IBAN. The desk settled more than 40 million dollars in stablecoin flows during its first 90 days.
Pan-African NFT marketplace and DeFi lending
A creative studio building cross-chain NFT infrastructure faced prohibitive MiCA costs because their tokens straddled utility and financial characteristics. Anjouan allowed them to host smart-contract auctions, distribute staking rewards, and test DeFi collateral models while gradually onboarding users from Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.
Seed-stage liquidity-as-a-service provider
Two developers wanted to plug institutional liquidity into small exchanges across Asia. They held no capital for a VARA application. Aston VIP secured an Anjouan licence, plus a nominee director and shareholder to preserve privacy. The team built API libraries and now supplies order-book depth to five third-party venues.
Governance, AML, and optional staffing
Unlike onshore regimes, Anjouan leaves the decision to appoint a compliance officer or MLRO to the founders. The only statutory requirement is that a senior manager signs the annual declaration of compliance. Nevertheless, banking partners in Europe or the Caribbean sometimes request evidence of professional oversight. Aston VIP therefore offers a complimentary recruitment service, tapping a pool of certified anti-money-laundering specialists who understand both offshore pragmatism and onshore due-diligence expectations.
We also arrange independent directors for added credibility. These individuals bring experience from regulated exchanges, international law firms, or Big Four audit houses, signalling corporate governance maturity to counterparties.
Get the most relevant information about business life in Dubai
Regulatory pitfalls to avoid
The explosion of interest in offshore crypto licences has attracted fly-by-night intermediaries who promise “instant approval” but provide little substance. Red flags include:
- Generic licence certificates with no QR code or registry number
- Absence of a legal-opinion letter proving activity scope
- Failure to mention the need for annual renewal and compliance submissions
- No clarity on marketing restrictions toward US residents
Aston VIP works in direct correspondence with the Offshore Finance Authority. Every engagement includes real-time status updates, bespoke drafting of activity descriptions, and post-licensing maintenance schedules so renewals never lapse. If a founder intends to target Europe or the UAE within 12 to 18 months, we map the deliverables now so they dovetail with later onshore migration.
Banking, PSPs, and treasury pathways
Traditional banks in North America or Western Europe maintain risk matrices that flag Comorian entities, but that does not mean an Anjouan company must operate entirely in stablecoins. Aston VIP has built relationships with:
- Caribbean correspondent banks that accept offshore crypto revenue if the licence and underlying KYC records are provided
- European electronic-money institutions that issue IBANs and support SEPA and SWIFT transfers for digital-asset operators
- Hybrid crypto banks in Africa and the Middle East that hold both fiat and stablecoin balances under a single dashboard
For founders who need one foot inside the European Union, we establish a separate Cyprus payment-service provider or Lithuanian EMI, then draft an agency contract so the PSP collects payments on behalf of the Anjouan principal.
"The Aston VIP structure satisfies card-scheme rules and opens direct access to Visa and Mastercard acquiring channels."
Frequently asked questions about the Anjouan crypto license
Do I need a local office or staff on the island?
No. A registered agent address suffices. Operations and servers can sit anywhere.
Can I serve United States users?
Anjouan does not prohibit it, but US federal and state rules still apply. Most licensees geoblock US IP ranges until they obtain a FinCEN registration or money-transmitter licences.
Is the licence recognised by major exchanges?
Tier-one venues require either MiCA, VARA, or US credentials for listing, but an Anjouan licence can underpin secondary liquidity or partnership programmes while those onshore applications are in motion.
What about annual audits?
The OFA does not mandate external audits, yet banking partners may request financial statements. Aston can arrange an affordable offshore audit if you wish to improve credibility.
How long is the licence valid?
Indefinitely, provided the company pays the renewal fee and files an annual compliance certificate.
Phase-by-phase growth strategy, from lean MVP to global footprint
- Launch under the Anjouan Crypto License to validate the product, onboard early adopters, and secure paying customers without burning excessive capital on compliance.
- Raise private-seed or Series A funding armed with a live platform, audited smart contracts, and actual revenue. Investors appreciate that regulatory risk is contained.
- Apply for a VARA licence if the primary growth market is the Gulf Cooperation Council, or initiate a MiCA passport if the next step is European institutional clients. Because Aston drafted the original AML policy and board resolutions, we simply expand them to meet the new authority’s more granular requirements.
- Migrate operations gradually, maintaining the Anjouan entity as a market-making or treasury vehicle, while shifting client-facing services to the new onshore licence. Users experience zero downtime, and the brand carries its regulatory timeline as a badge of maturity.
-
The license supports high-risk activities like perpetual swaps and algorithmic stablecoins, provided disclosures and risk statements are clearly communicated.
-
It serves as a stepping stone to heavyweight jurisdictions like Dubai’s VARA or Europe’s MiCA, with policies and structures designed to be upgraded later.
-
Aston has assisted use cases including West African exchanges, Latin American OTC desks, NFT marketplaces, and liquidity services, all leveraging the Anjouan license.
-
Real-world banking routes exist through Caribbean banks, EU PSPs, and hybrid crypto-banks, with Aston’s agency contracts enabling access to Visa and Mastercard rails.
Aston VIP, your end-to-end partner for Anjouan, VARA, and beyond
Aston’s digital-assets desk has guided more than 760 founders through jurisdiction selection, licence procurement, banking integration, and eventual exit or redomiciliation. We operate in direct coordination with the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority, VARA, the DFSA, and multiple EU competent authorities. That network allows you to start small, scale fast, and pivot to premier frameworks when timing and funding align.
Every engagement includes complimentary nominee structuring, compliance-officer recruitment if requested, and bank-account introductions that actually close. If you are ready to explore whether an Anjouan Crypto License is the right springboard for your vision, or if you need a blueprint that merges offshore agility with onshore prestige, book a confidential call with an Aston strategist today.
