A crypto license in Saint Kitts and Nevis is a registration with the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) under the Virtual Asset Act, 2020: nobody may offer or operate a virtual asset business in or from the Federation without it. The file covers fit-and-proper owners and managers, AML/CFT controls, a local place of business and 15% of client funds in escrow; the fees are EC$54,000 to apply and EC$135,000 a year. We build the company and the registration file.
Updated · Reviewed by the Prifinance team
Saint Kitts and Nevis has had a crypto statute since January 2020. The Virtual Asset Act, 2020 (Act No. 1 of 2020), in force since 28 January 2020, makes the Financial Services Regulatory Commission the authority for virtual asset business and says that no one may offer or operate such a business in or from the Federation without being registered. The Act covers the five activities on the FATF list - exchange between virtual assets and fiat, exchange between virtual assets, transfers, safekeeping or administration, and financial services for an issue or sale of a virtual asset. Amendments in 2021, 2024 and 2026 tightened it, and the Virtual Asset Business Regulations, 2026 added the detailed rulebook. Operating without registration is an offence: a fine of up to EC$50,000, up to two years in prison, or both.
The application to the FSRC sets out the business, its directors, senior management, significant shareholders and beneficial owners, an AML/CFT and counter-proliferation manual with a named compliance officer, data-protection and cyber-security policies, a risk assessment and a sample prospectus. The FSRC registers only fit and proper applicants and decides within 90 days of a complete file. Once registered, the business keeps 15% of client funds in escrow with a registered trust company or custodian, has its compliance officer and money laundering reporting officer approved, files quarterly reports and audited accounts within four months of year-end, commissions an independent AML audit, follows the Travel Rule and keeps capital, liquidity and insurance in line with its size. A registrant whose registered office is abroad keeps a principal representative ordinarily resident in the Federation. Fees are EC$54,000 (US$20,000) to apply and EC$135,000 (US$50,000) to register, paid again every year by 31 January.
Saint Kitts and Nevis registers crypto businesses under the Virtual Asset Act 2020: the FSRC, five activities, one registration renewed yearly.
Fit-and-proper owners, AML/CFT, a local place of business and 15% of client funds in escrow. EC$54,000 to apply, EC$135,000 a year.
The Virtual Asset Act does not split the business into licence classes: one registration covers the activities you declare, and a token issue adds a prospectus the FSRC approves. We fix the activity list first, then build once.
One FSRC registration covers the five activities under the Act; a token issue adds an approved prospectus.
Registration with the FSRC for exchange, transfer, custody and issuance services, held by a company registered to do business in the Federation. It runs for the calendar year and is renewed by 31 January.
Registration with the FSRC for exchange, transfer, custody and issuance services, held by a company registered to do business in the Federation. It runs for the calendar year and is renewed by 31 January.
A registrant that issues or sells a virtual asset files a prospectus with the FSRC at least 14 days before publication and publishes it only once approved. Approval lasts up to twelve months, and buyers can withdraw if the prospectus misled them.
A token issue needs a prospectus filed 14 days ahead and approved by the FSRC before publication.
Costs and timelines are confirmed for your case before any work begins. Fees are set in Schedule 1 of the Act as amended in 2021; the FSRC can ask for more capital, liquidity or insurance where the risk profile calls for it.
The framework is the Virtual Asset Act, run by the FSRC since 2020 and updated in 2026 - one registration for the five activities, set duties for client money, and no personal income tax for founders who move.
The Virtual Asset Act has been in force since January 2020, and the FSRC registers under it. Offering virtual asset services from the Federation without registration is an offence.The Virtual Asset Act is in force since 2020.
The 2026 amendment and the Virtual Asset Business Regulations, 2026 added independent AML audits, the Travel Rule, cyber-security testing and segregation of client assets - the standards banks now ask about.AML audits, Travel Rule, cyber testing.
No class ladder. Exchange, transfer, custody and issuance services sit under one registration; you declare what you run, and a token issue adds a prospectus.No classes - declare what you run.
The Federation levies no personal income tax. At the owner level that is a clean starting position, which we model against the home-country rules that govern the individual.Clean owner-level starting position.
A federation on common-law foundations, with contract, property and dispute rules that international partners understand and banks recognise.Predictable, familiar legal ground.
EC$54,000 to apply and EC$135,000 every year are set in law, so the plan carries them from day one and nothing surprises you later.EC$54,000 + EC$135,000 a year, set in law.
Saint Kitts and Nevis is a registration jurisdiction with a statute since 2020 - not the company-only play it is often sold as. The plain comparison is below.
| Feature |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Permission | FSRC registration under the Virtual Asset Act | Licensing regimes |
| Fees | EC$54,000 + EC$135,000 a year | Varies |
| Client money | 15% in escrow with a trust company or custodian | Varies |
| Legal system | English common law | Varies |
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Virtual Asset Act registration (FSRC) | 25% corporate (resident) | Fit and proper, 15% escrow, annual fee |
 Antigua & Barbuda | DABA licence (FSRC) | 25% corporate | Dedicated law, supervised |
 Anguilla | Utility Token Act + company | 0% corporate | Token route or pairing |
 BVI | VASP Act 2022 (FSC) | 0% corporate | Registration, AML-led |
Saint Kitts and NevisAntigua & BarbudaAnguillaBVIThe Act, its 2021, 2024 and 2026 amendments and the 2026 Regulations spell the file out. The checklist below is what we build.
Reflects the Virtual Asset Act, 2020 (Cap. 21.29) as amended in 2021, 2024 and 2026, the fee order SRO 47 of 2021 and the Virtual Asset Business Regulations, 2026 (SRO 13 of 2026). The FSRC can set higher capital or liquidity for a riskier model.Virtual Asset Act 2020 as amended in 2021, 2024 and 2026; fees SRO 47 of 2021; Regulations SRO 13 of 2026.
Regulator pages, legal texts and public registers the figures on this page are based on.
Which of the five activities you run, whether a token issue needs a prospectus, and what the fees and escrow imply - fixed in writing before the company is formed.Which of the five activities - in writing.
Company incorporated or registered in the Federation, local place of business set, compliance and reporting officers chosen, fit-and-proper files collected.Company, place of business, compliance roles.
Application, policies, risk assessment, sample prospectus and the EC$54,000 fee filed with the FSRC, which decides within 90 days of a complete file.Filed with the FSRC; decision within 90 days.
EC$135,000 registration fee paid, escrow arranged with a trust company or custodian, compliance roles approved - the business is registered.Fee paid, escrow arranged, roles approved.
Accounts and rails live; quarterly reports, audited accounts, the AML audit and the renewal by 31 January run on a calendar we keep.Accounts live; reports and renewal on a calendar.
The 90 days run from a complete file. Anyone offering virtual asset services from the Federation without registration risks a fine of up to EC$50,000, up to two years in prison, or both.
Incorporation in St Kitts or Nevis, a local place of business and, for a foreign company, the resident principal representative.Incorporation and a local address.
Application, policies, risk assessment and the fit-and-proper pack - built to the Act and the 2026 Regulations.Built to the Act and the 2026 Regulations.
The 15% escrow with a registered trust company or custodian, and client assets kept segregated.15% escrow; client assets segregated.
Accounts arranged on full disclosure, matched to the flows - the structure live on rails that hold.Accounts on disclosure; solid rails.
Companies resident in the Federation pay corporate income tax on worldwide income, and residence follows where the company is managed and controlled. There is no personal income tax. What the registration adds is a fixed cost line the plan has to carry.
The rate has been fixed at 25% since 1 January 2024. A company resident in the Federation pays it on worldwide income - the Inland Revenue Department describes the system as worldwide.Fixed since 1 January 2024.
Tax residence turns on central management and control, not on the place of incorporation. A company that is not resident is taxed on its St Kitts and Nevis-source income, so where the board actually sits matters.Where the board sits decides.
The Federation levies no personal income tax. At the owner level that is a clean position, which we model against the home-country rules that govern the individual.Clean owner-level position.
EC$54,000 to apply and EC$135,000 every year, plus the escrow, audits and insurance. We put the numbers in the plan before the FSRC sees it.Fees, escrow, audits - in the plan.
No local tax on owners does not remove tax where owners and operations sit. We model the home-country position before the structure is built, so it is sound rather than optimistic.No local tax does not remove home tax.
Residence, source and substance mapped across the company, the escrow agent and the owners' home jurisdictions. We build that file first, because the FSRC and the banks read it too.Built first - the FSRC reads it too.
*As of 2026. Corporate rate as announced in the 2024 Budget; residence and source rules per the Inland Revenue Department's guidance on tax residence. Where the company is managed decides the position.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the compliance file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right structure - a company in the Federation and its FSRC registration, with onshore licences paired where a market calls for them - and leads it to a compliant launch, including banking and payment rails.
Builds the file itself: the company, the AML/KYC policy pack, the risk assessment and the fit-and-proper documents the FSRC reads. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a registered, properly scoped business.
Full-service setup - the company, the FSRC registration file under the Virtual Asset Act, the escrow and the compliance roles.
Get a consultation →Our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which of the five activities you fall under, what the registration will cost and how long the file takes.
Yes, as a registration. Since January 2020 the Virtual Asset Act requires anyone offering or operating a virtual asset business in or from the Federation to be registered with the Financial Services Regulatory Commission. What you get is an FSRC registration, renewed every year.
Under the Act, virtual asset business: exchange between virtual assets and fiat, exchange between virtual assets, transfers, safekeeping or administration, and financial services for an issue or sale. It also approves prospectuses for token issues and supervises AML/CFT.
No. Offering or operating virtual asset business from the Federation without registration is an offence - a fine of up to EC$50,000, up to two years in prison, or both - and a company structure alone does not replace the registration.
EC$54,000 (US$20,000) with the application and EC$135,000 (US$50,000) for registration, paid again every year by 31 January. The FSRC decides within 90 days of a complete application.
At least 15% of client funds sits in escrow with a registered trust company or custodian, client assets stay segregated and are never pledged, and the business keeps capital, liquidity and insurance in line with its size.
Saint Kitts and Nevis has run a CBI programme since 1984. It is separate from the registration, but relevant where founders want a residence or mobility angle - we can coordinate both.
Companies resident in the Federation pay 25% corporate income tax on worldwide income; residence follows central management and control. There is no personal income tax. The position depends on where the company is actually managed.
Accounts are earned with structure and disclosure. An FSRC registration and audited accounts help; we build the banking file alongside the application, matched to the flows.
Because we read the Act and the 2026 Regulations before we promise anything, build the registration file to them and keep the yearly calendar - renewal, audits, AML reports - running after launch.
Yes - FSRC registration under the 2020 Act.
Exchange, transfer, custody, issuance services.
No - an offence, up to EC$50,000 or two years.
EC$54,000 + EC$135,000 a year; 90 days.
15% in escrow; assets segregated.
A CBI programme since 1984 - coordinated.
25% on resident companies; no personal tax.
Earned with disclosure; built alongside.
The Act read first, the file built to it.
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Get a free legal opinion on your project - our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: the activity list, the registration file and the timeline.Free legal opinion: your activity list under the Act, the cost of the registration and the timeline - what fits your project.
Prifinance is an independent law and advisory firm. We are not a regulator and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Financial Services Regulatory Commission or any other public authority. Registrations and authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.
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