Nikolai Timofejev
15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right licence scope and leads the file all the way to the honest answer, including banking and payment rails.
The truth about the Anjouan licence.
The most-marketed budget 'forex licence' of the decade, reviewed as a lawyer would: an island-registry certificate from Anjouan - issued in days, renewed annually, and not an authorisation of the Union's central bank, which warns publicly against unauthorised claims of Comorian financial status. Here is what the paper does, what it cannot do, and what the same money builds instead.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
Anjouan in brief
A certificate with a licence's name.
Anjouan is an autonomous island of the Union of the Comoros whose registry sells what the market calls the 'Anjouan forex licence' - typically styled an International Brokerage and Clearing House licence: application by email, issuance in days, a headline price in the low thousands and an annual renewal invoice. As a document it is real; as a regulatory status it is not what its name suggests. The Union's monetary authority is the Banque Centrale des Comores, and its position is public: only institutions it authorises may conduct financial or banking activity under a Comorian licence, with warnings against entities claiming Comorian financial status without that authorisation.
The market has priced the difference for years. Correspondent banks do not recognise the certificate; tier-one and mid-tier PSPs decline it; regulators in client jurisdictions treat holders as unlicensed. What remains is a narrow shelf: white-label arrangements and structures where the certificate plays a cosmetic rather than legal role, and buyers deserve to know that before paying, not after the first bank rejection. Our service on this page is the review, in writing: what the offer on your table actually is, what your obligations to your clients' regulators actually are, and what the same budget builds in Vanuatu - a real licence from a real regulator in roughly three weeks - or a tier up in the Seychelles or Mauritius.
The frank review: the Anjouan 'forex licence' is an island-registry certificate issued in days, not a BCC authorisation, with no supervision behind it and minimal banking acceptance. The BCC warns against unauthorised claims of Comorian status.
Same budget, real licence: Vanuatu FDL in ~3 weeks. We put the comparison in writing before you pay anyone.
The two conversations
The certificate as it is - and the build instead.
We document the registry product as it is, then design the alternative that actually banks. Both in writing, before you spend.
The certificate as it is, and the same-budget real build.
01 - THE ANJOUAN CERTIFICATE, AS IT IS
What the paper is
An island-registry document issued in days: real as paper, silent as regulation - no BCC authorisation, no prudential supervision, and a banking reality every seller should disclose but few do.
An island-registry document issued in days: real as paper, silent as regulation - no BCC authorisation, no prudential supervision, and a banking reality every seller should disclose but few do.
- ✓Registry issuance - days, email process
- ✓Low headline price · annual renewal
- ✓Not a BCC authorisation
- ✓No prudential supervision behind it
- ✓Minimal bank and PSP acceptance
- ✓Written review before you pay anyone
02 - THE SAME-BUDGET ALTERNATIVE
Real licence · ~3 weeksWhat we build instead
Vanuatu's Financial Dealers Licence: an actual regulator, statutory deposit, roughly three weeks' processing from a final file. The real competitor the Anjouan brochures never mention. Seychelles and Mauritius one tier up.
Vanuatu FDL: real regulator, VT 5M deposit, ~3 weeks, no corporate income tax. The competitor the brochures omit.
- ✓Vanuatu FDL - real supervision, fast
- ✓VT 5,000,000 deposit - comes back
- ✓No corporate income tax
- ✓Seychelles / Mauritius upgrade paths
- ✓Banking and PSP rails that open
- ✓One programme, both ends
Costs and timelines are confirmed for your case before any work begins. Including the written comparison the resellers do not offer.
Why read this first
Six facts the brochures omit.
Everything below is checkable. Start with the central bank's own communiqués.
✓
The issuer is a registry
Anjouan's licence products are issued by an island registry, not by the Union's central bank, which alone authorises financial institutions under Comorian law.Not the central bank.
✓
The BCC warns publicly
The Banque Centrale des Comores cautions against entities claiming Comorian financial status without its authorisation. The warning is on its website, dated and signed.Publicly, in writing.
✓
Banking defines the product
The certificate's real-world value equals the list of banks that accept it. Ask for that list in writing and watch the conversation change.Ask for the list.
✓
Supervision is absent
No capital rules, no reporting, no inspections. The machinery that makes a licence mean something is not part of the product.The machinery is absent.
✓
Client-state regulators still apply
Serving clients in any regulated market requires that market's authorisation. A registry certificate from anywhere changes nothing about that.Nothing overrides them.
✓
The real competitor is close
Vanuatu licenses dealers in about three weeks with real supervision and zero corporate income tax. The price gap to Anjouan is smaller than one lost banking quarter.Vanuatu, ~3 weeks.
How it compares
Anjouan against the routes that work.
The comparison every buyer should see before paying, not after.
Anjouan vs licensed routes
| Feature |  Anjouan certificate | Licensed routes |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Island registry | State regulator |
| Supervision | None behind the paper | Capital, reporting, inspections |
| Banking | Minimal acceptance | Established rails |
| Actual role | Cosmetic at best | The regulated core |
Issuer
Anjouan certificateIsland registry
Licensed routesState regulator
Supervision
Anjouan certificateNone behind the paper
Licensed routesCapital, reporting, inspections
Banking
Anjouan certificateMinimal acceptance
Licensed routesEstablished rails
Actual role
Anjouan certificateCosmetic at best
Licensed routesThe regulated core
Route by route
| Route | Status | Speed | What it buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anjouan | Registry certificate | Days | Paper, little banking |
 Vanuatu | VFSC licence - real | ~3 weeks + prep | A working licence |
 Seychelles | FSA SDL - proven | 3-6 months | Market standing |
 Belize | FSC licence - US$500k bar | 4-8 months | Deep recognition |
AnjouanStatusRegistry certificate
SpeedDays
What it buysPaper, little banking
VanuatuStatusVFSC licence - real
Speed~3 weeks + prep
What it buysA working licence
SeychellesStatusFSA SDL - proven
Speed3-6 months
What it buysMarket standing
BelizeStatusFSC licence - US$500k bar
Speed4-8 months
What it buysDeep recognition
Before you decide
The buyer's protocol for Anjouan offers.The buyer's protocol.
Ten questions that cost nothing and save quarters. Put each to your seller - in writing.
01
Name the issuing authority and its statute. Then check it against the BCC's published position.
02
Request the list of banks currently opening accounts against this certificate. Names, not 'many banks'.
03
Request the list of PSPs that onboard holders. The acquiring answer decides the business case.
04
Ask what prudential supervision applies. Capital, reporting, inspections, and who performs it.
05
Ask what the renewal process tests. If the answer is 'payment', that is the answer.
06
Map your clients' jurisdictions and their licensing requirements. The certificate changes none of them.
07
Price the exit: re-licensing, re-papering clients and rebuilding rails when the flag fails.
08
Compare the all-in cost against a Vanuatu FDL. Including the banking quarter Anjouan typically loses.
09
If a narrow use-case is claimed, demand it in writing with its legal limits stated.
10
Get an independent written opinion before paying. Ours takes days and costs nothing.
01
Issuer + statute, checked.
02
Bank list - in writing.
03
PSP list - in writing.
04
Supervision - who, what?
05
Renewal. Test or invoice?
06
Client states mapped.
07
Exit cost priced.
08
Vanuatu comparison run.
09
Use-case in writing.
10
Independent opinion first.
We answer all ten in a written opinion before you commit to anything. Including to us.All ten answered in writing before you commit.
How it works
From the offer to solid ground.
01
The offer on the table
The Anjouan quote. Seller, document, price, promises. Goes under the microscope first.Under the microscope.
02
The written opinion
Issuer, BCC standing, banking reality, client-jurisdiction exposure. Documented in plain language.Plain-language facts.
03
The decision
A narrow named use-case, or the credible alternative. Chosen with facts, not brochures.Facts, not brochures.
04
The build
Whichever route: entity, licence, banking and rails sequenced as one programme.One programme.
05
Launch on solid ground
A structure whose paper, banking and story agree. The only kind that lasts.Paper and banking agree.
Quick facts
IssuerIsland registry
ProductBrokerage certificate
IssuanceDays
BCC standingNot authorised by BCC
SupervisionNone behind it
BankingMinimal acceptance
AlternativeVanuatu ~3 weeks
Our deliverableWritten opinion first
The certificate is cheapest at purchase and most expensive at the first bank rejection. The review costs nothing and comes first.
On the ground in the Comoros
Run from our Mutsamudu office.
Prifinance - Anjouan
Mutsamudu · Anjouan
Mutsamudu, Anjouan, Comoros
01
The frank review
Any Anjouan offer analysed against the BCC's position, banking reality and your client map. In writing, in days.Days, in writing.
02
Local clarity
What the island registry actually issues and what Union law actually authorises. Documented from the ground.Registry vs Union law.
03
The credible build
Vanuatu, Seychelles, Mauritius or Belize structured as the working alternative. Both ends, one programme.Real flags, one programme.
04
Migration off the certificate
Already holding Anjouan paper? We plan the move to a real licence without losing the book.Book intact.
We also have offices in
Tallinn
Estonia
Roseni 13
Vilnius
Lithuania
Gedimino pr. 2
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
Dubai
UAE
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Madeira
Portugal
Rua da Alegria 31, 1F
Istanbul
Turkey
Perpa Ticaret Merkezi, A Blok
Good to know
The fiscal side, in numbers.
Paper has fees; structures have tax questions. Only one of them matters.
Certificate fees
Issuance and renewal. Trivial amounts that buy trivial standing; the fiscal story of the paper ends there.Trivial, and final.
No licence economics
There is no supervised entity, so there are no licence-driven tax structures. The certificate carries no fiscal architecture.Nothing supervised.
The group decides
Where profits are booked, taxed and distributed is set by the working entities. The licensed core and holding layer, wherever you build them.Working entities rule.
Owner-level rules decide
CFC, management-and-control and residency rules in the founders' countries set the outcome. Planned before the first invoice.CFC decides.
Banking drives everything
A structure without rails has no tax questions worth asking. The certificate's banking reality is its fiscal reality.Rails are reality.
Alternatives with real answers
Vanuatu (no corporate income tax), Seychelles (source-based), Mauritius (3% effective). Documented regimes, not improvisations.VU · SC · MU.
Fiscal summary
Certificate costsIssuance + renewal
Licence economicsNone - no supervision
Planning levelGroup + owner
Deciding factorBanking reality
Documented alternativesVU · SC · MU · BZ
*As of 2026. Every outcome is modelled per structure, case by case.
Turnkey professional support
Experienced lawyers and international consultants.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the application file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
Oleksii Kindratenko
Builds the application itself: structure, AML/KYC policy pack, capital structure and tax registrations. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a working, defensible setup.
Follow Prifinance
Active across our channels.
Anjouan · the frank review
Get the truth about the Anjouan offer before you pay.
A written review of the certificate on your table - issuer, BCC standing, banking reality, and the credible alternative designed beside it. From our Mutsamudu office.
Get a consultation →Free legal opinion
Is the Anjouan route real for your project?
Our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.
Written assessment within 2-5 business days
Request a free conclusion →FAQ
The Anjouan licence - what clients ask.
What is the Anjouan forex licence?+
An island-registry certificate - typically styled an International Brokerage and Clearing House licence - issued by Anjouan's registry in days for a low fee. It is a real document; it is not an authorisation of the Central Bank of the Comoros.
Is it recognised by the Union of the Comoros?+
The BCC's public position is that only institutions it authorises may conduct financial activity under a Comorian licence, and it warns against unauthorised claims of Comorian financial status. Draw the conclusion the sentence draws.
Will banks accept it?+
Acceptance is minimal - correspondent banking is effectively out of reach and serious PSPs decline. Ask any seller for a written list of accepting banks; the response is usually the whole answer.
Why is it marketed so heavily?+
Because it is cheap to issue and profitable to resell. A days-fast certificate at a four-figure price with annual renewals is an excellent product - for the seller.
Is holding one illegal?+
Holding paper is not an offence. The exposure comes from operating: serving clients in regulated markets without their regulators' authorisation, and marketing a registry certificate as if it were state licensing.
Can I run a real brokerage on it?+
Not durably. Without banking, PSPs or recognised supervision, the operating model collapses at the rails - usually within the first serious growth quarter.
What does the same money buy instead?+
A Vanuatu FDL: real regulator, VT 5M refundable deposit, roughly three weeks' processing, no corporate income tax. One tier up: Seychelles or Mauritius. The gap is smaller than one lost banking relationship.
Is there any legitimate use for Anjouan paper?+
At the margins, narrow cosmetic roles exist inside otherwise-licensed groups, and they are narrow. Where one genuinely applies, we will name it in writing with its limits; where it does not, we will say so before you spend.
I already bought one. What now?+
We review what you hold, map the gap against your actual obligations, and migrate you to a credible flag without losing the client book - the sooner, the cheaper.
Why Prifinance for the Anjouan question?+
Because our business is working structures: 400+ real licences obtained, the frank review delivered first, and the credible alternative built when you choose it.
What is it?+
A registry certificate, days-fast.
Recognised?+
Not by the BCC - it warns.
Banks?+
Minimal - ask for names.
Why marketed?+
Profitable to resell.
Illegal?+
Paper no; operating maybe.
Real brokerage?+
Collapses at the rails.
Instead?+
Vanuatu FDL, ~3 weeks.
Legitimate use?+
Narrow - in writing only.
Already bought?+
We migrate you.
Why you?+
Structures, not paper.
Client notes
Google4.7★★★★★
Founders who wanted it done right.
Google4.7★★★★★
“As a software development crew at FewMoreTaps OÜ, we've had the pleasure of working with Prifinance on some key financial moves.First of all, navigating the world of corporate banking and finance can be a maze, but Prifinance made it feel like a walk in the park. They helped us set up a corporate bank account without the hassle of jumping on a plane or drowning in paperwork. Everything was done remotely, smoothly…”
Google
“I had their assistance in company registration and I would recommend them. They were answering all my clarification during the process and offering all their supportThank you Daniel and Irinia”
Google
“We found PRIFINANCE COMPANYvia the Internet and asked for help in organizing the opening of their company in Estonia. PRIFINANCE COMPANY specialists helped us a lot with this. Their professional, competent approach and knowledge of their business left us with only the best impressions.”
Google
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Google
“Opening an account with Prifinance in a Swiss bank was such an easy and quick process that I was shocked. It all started with the first call, where I received detailed guidance on the required documents and the entire procedure.One of the key highlights was their attention to detail. As someone who usually gets tangled up in paperwork, I was pleasantly surprised when they sent me all the documents and…”
Google
“I recently had the pleasure of working with Boris.. and I must say, it was a fantastic experience. Boris went above and beyond to assist me with my residency needs. His professionalism, knowledge, and dedication truly stood out. I highly recommend working with Boris and the team!”
Google
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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: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.Free legal opinion: what the Anjouan offer on your table actually is.
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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 Banque Centrale des Comores (BCC) or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.