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 FSC decision, including banking and payment rails.
Get an investment license in Belize.
The post-reform Caribbean licence: an FSC securities authorisation under the Securities Industry Act 2021 - capitalisation of US$500,000 for trading permissions, advisory and portfolio scopes per the Commission's categories, a 2023 practitioners' code and annual attestations, in a system rebuilt after the IBC era closed.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
Belize in brief
The jurisdiction that rebuilt itself, described as it is.
Belize replaced its old offshore architecture with the Securities Industry Act 2021 and a 2023 practitioners' code, and the difference matters: the FSC now licenses named securities activities against real capitalisation - US$500,000 for trading permissions, reconfirmed against the Commission's current conditions at filing - with advisory and portfolio-management scopes issued per its licence categories. Annual attestations, conduct rules and named responsible persons replaced the paper-only era that ended when the IBC regime was dismantled in 2019. What remains is a supervised, affordable Caribbean licence with a regulator that now says no.
Used properly, that is a real position: a manager running international mandates gets a licensed home at capitalisation well below onshore centres, in a territorial tax system where business tax follows Belize-source receipts and substance gates the outcome. What Belize does not offer is a treaty network or a retail passport - its agreements are thin, and EU or UK retail requires locally licensed entities. The architecture we build reflects that: Belize as the licensed operating company for international books, paired deliberately with treaty or onshore vehicles where the structure needs them. We scope the permissions, build the file and say plainly what the licence does not do.
The rebuilt Caribbean licence: FSC under the Securities Industry Act 2021 - US$500,000 capitalisation for trading permissions, advisory and portfolio scopes per category, 2023 practitioners' code, annual attestations.
Territorial business tax on receipts, substance-gated; thin treaties and no retail passport - paired deliberately with vehicles that have both. Built end to end.
The two builds
The trading licence - or the advisory scope.
The SIA 2021 licenses named activities: trading permissions at US$500,000 capitalisation, advisory and portfolio scopes per the Commission's categories. We scope before we file.
The US$500k trading licence - or the advisory scope.
01 - TRADING PERMISSIONS
The capitalised licence
Trading in securities under the SIA 2021 at US$500,000 capitalisation. The full operating licence for international books, with the practitioners' code and annual attestations behind it.
Trading in securities under the SIA 2021 at US$500,000 capitalisation. The full operating licence for international books, with the practitioners' code and annual attestations behind it.
- ✓Trading in securities
- ✓US$500,000 capitalisation
- ✓2023 practitioners' code
- ✓Annual attestations
- ✓Named responsible persons
- ✓International client books
02 - ADVISORY · PORTFOLIO
The lighter scope
Investment advice and portfolio scopes issued per the Commission's categories. The lighter permission set for firms that advise and manage without trading permissions, scoped and priced at filing.
Investment advice and portfolio scopes per the Commission's categories. The lighter permission set, same conduct code, upgrade path built in.
- ✓Investment advice
- ✓Portfolio management scope
- ✓Capitalisation per category
- ✓Same conduct code
- ✓Upgrade path to trading
- ✓Scoped up front at design
Capitalisation and category scopes per the Securities Industry Act 2021 and FSC conditions. Reconfirmed against the Commission's current schedule at filing.
Why Belize
Six reasons firms still choose Belize.
✓
A rebuilt regime
The SIA 2021 and 2023 code replaced the paper era. A licence issued today means something the old one did not.Means something now.
✓
Real capitalisation, modest cost
US$500,000 for trading permissions sits far below onshore centres while still gating the unserious.US$500k, real gate.
✓
Territorial taxation
Business tax follows Belize-source receipts. International books map outside it when the structure is clean.Source-mapped receipts.
✓
English common law
A common-law system and English-language administration. Documents and disputes in a familiar frame.Familiar frame.
✓
American time zone
Central time, direct flights and a workday that overlaps both American coasts.Both coasts overlap.
✓
Real limits
Thin treaties, no retail passport. We say it here, on the page, before you build anything.Said on the page.
How it compares
How Belize differs from other routes.
The comparison that matters: an affordable rebuilt licence. With a thin treaty map that has to be planned around.
Belize vs other jurisdictions
| Feature |  Belize | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | SIA 2021 - FSC | SIBA or funds acts |
| Capital | US$500,000 trading | CI$15k-US$500k |
| Treaties | Thin - pair deliberately | 40-100+ networks |
| Tax | Territorial business tax | None or 3% |
Regime
BelizeSIA 2021 - FSC
Other jurisdictionsSIBA or funds acts
Capital
BelizeUS$500,000 trading
Other jurisdictionsCI$15k-US$500k
Treaties
BelizeThin - pair deliberately
Other jurisdictions40-100+ networks
Tax
BelizeTerritorial business tax
Other jurisdictionsNone or 3%
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belize | Securities licence - FSC | Territorial business tax | US$500,000 capitalisation |
 BVI | Approved Manager / Cat 3 | No income tax | US$400M AUM cap, US$1,000 |
 Cayman Islands | Securities manager - CIMA | No income tax | CI$5,000/yr, CI$15k resources |
 Mauritius | Investment dealer - FSC | 15% · 3% effective | MUR 1M, 2 officers |
BelizeLicense typeSecurities licence - FSC
TaxationTerritorial business tax
RequirementsUS$500,000 capitalisation
BVILicense typeApproved Manager / Cat 3
TaxationNo income tax
RequirementsUS$400M AUM cap, US$1,000
Cayman IslandsLicense typeSecurities manager - CIMA
TaxationNo income tax
RequirementsCI$5,000/yr, CI$15k resources
MauritiusLicense typeInvestment dealer - FSC
Taxation15% · 3% effective
RequirementsMUR 1M, 2 officers
Before you apply
Requirements for the Belize licence.Requirements for the licence.
The post-2021 Commission examines what it licenses. The checklist below is what a passing file contains.
01
Belize company. Incorporated for the licence with a real local presence.
02
Permission scope. Trading, advisory or portfolio activities mapped before filing.
03
Capitalisation. US$500,000 for trading permissions, evidenced and reconfirmed against current conditions.
04
Fit-and-proper principals. Directors and owners vetted to ultimate-owner level.
05
Responsible persons. Named individuals accountable for the licensed activities.
06
Business plan. Clientele, instruments and projections the FSC can test.
07
Conduct compliance. The 2023 practitioners' code embedded in procedures.
08
Client-asset arrangements. Segregation and reconciliation per the Act.
09
Annual attestations. The declarations the regime requires, calendared.
10
AML/CFT programme. Belize's framework with a named officer.
11
Structural clarity. Treaty and retail limits addressed in the group design.
01
Belize company, present.
02
Permissions scoped first.
03
US$500k evidenced.
04
Principals vetted to UBO.
05
Responsible persons named.
06
Testable business plan.
07
2023 code embedded.
08
Client assets segregated.
09
Attestations calendared.
10
AML officer named.
11
Limits designed around.
Reflects the Securities Industry Act 2021 and the 2023 code as of 2026. Capitalisation is reconfirmed against FSC conditions at filing.SIA 2021 + 2023 code, as of 2026.
How it works
From first call to the FSC register.
01
Scope and limits
Permissions chosen, treaty and retail gaps named. The structure designed around what Belize does not do.Gaps named first.
02
Company and capital
Belize entity, US$500,000 evidenced where trading permissions apply, principals vetted.US$500k evidenced.
03
The application
The FSC file with plan, conduct procedures and responsible persons. Complete at submission.Complete at filing.
04
FSC examination
Queries answered on schedule. The modern Commission's questions taken seriously.Real questions met.
05
Licence and launch
Register entry, banking live, attestation calendar set. The operating company running.Attestations set.
Quick facts
RegulatorFSC Belize
FrameworkSIA 2021
Trading capitalisationUS$500,000
Conduct2023 code + conditions
AttestationAnnual declarations
ReformIBC era ended 2019
Realistic timeline4-8 months
TaxTerritorial · substance-gated
The old Belize sold certificates; the new one issues licences. Files built to the old standard get refused. We build to the current one.
On the ground in Belize
Run from our Belize City office.
Prifinance - Belize
Belize City · Belize
Belize City, Belize
01
Scope and structure
Permissions mapped to the real business, with treaty and retail limits designed around from the start.Limits designed in.
02
The FSC file
Capitalisation, principals and conduct procedures. Complete at submission under the post-2021 standard.Post-2021 standard.
03
Conduct and attestations
The 2023 code embedded and the annual declaration calendar run as routine.Calendar as routine.
04
Banking and pairing
Accounts built deliberately and treaty vehicles paired where the structure needs them.Parallel, deliberate.
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
Taxation of investment firms in Belize.
Territorial business tax with substance gating, and a treaty map thin enough to plan around deliberately.
Business tax on receipts
Belize taxes receipts rather than profits, by category. The computation is a revenue exercise, and we model it before you commit.Receipts by category.
Territorial logic
Belize-source receipts sit inside the system; international books map outside it when substance and structure hold.Source decides.
Substance-gated
The territorial outcome depends on real operations. The reform closed the paper route permanently.Paper route closed.
The IBC era ended
The 2019 reforms dismantled the old exempt regime. Structures inherited from it need rebuilding, not renewing.Rebuild, don't renew.
GST on domestic supplies
The indirect layer touches local consumption, not international mandates.Not on mandates.
Thin treaties
The network is small. Cross-border flows are paired with treaty vehicles elsewhere, deliberately, at design.Paired deliberately.
Tax summary
SystemBusiness tax on receipts
LogicTerritorial · substance-gated
ReformIBC era ended 2019
GSTDomestic supplies
TreatiesThin - pair deliberately
*Figures as of 2026 per Belize law. Category rates and territorial outcomes are modelled per structure before filing.
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: Belize company, 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 live, licensed firm.
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Belize · FSC
Launch your investment firm in Belize with expert support.
Full-service assistance - from scope design and capitalisation to the FSC licence, conduct compliance and pairing - run through our Belize City office.
Get a consultation →Free legal opinion
Is Belize the right fit 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 Belize investment licence: quick answers.
What licence does an investment firm need in Belize?+
A securities licence from the FSC under the Securities Industry Act 2021, scoped to the activities performed - trading permissions, investment advice or portfolio management per the Commission's categories.
What capitalisation is required?+
US$500,000 for trading permissions as the Commission's condition, reconfirmed against its current schedule at filing; advisory and portfolio scopes are capitalised per their category.
What changed after the reforms?+
Everything that mattered: the IBC regime was dismantled in 2019, the SIA 2021 replaced the old framework and a 2023 practitioners' code added conduct obligations and annual attestations. A licence issued today is supervised in a way the old one was not.
How long does licensing take?+
Realistically 4-8 months including preparation - the modern Commission asks real questions, and files built to the pre-reform standard are refused.
Does Belize have a treaty network?+
No - the network is thin, and we say so plainly. Cross-border structures pair the Belize operating company with treaty vehicles elsewhere; that pairing is designed at the start, not discovered later.
Can the licence serve EU or UK retail clients?+
No - regulated retail markets require locally licensed entities. Belize serves international books; the layered structure covers the rest, and we build both ends.
How are Belize firms taxed?+
Business tax applies to receipts by category under a territorial system, gated by substance - international books map outside it when the structure holds. GST touches domestic supplies only.
Is a Belize licence bankable?+
With deliberate work and a post-reform file, yes - banks distinguish sharply between pre-2019 structures and licences issued under the current regime. Banking runs as a parallel workstream from day one.
Belize or the BVI for a lean structure?+
Different shapes: the BVI Approved Manager suits fund managers below its AUM thresholds at US$1,000; Belize suits operating companies with client books at US$500,000 capitalisation. What you actually run decides - we model both.
Why Prifinance for Belize?+
Scope and limits stated before anything is built, a file constructed to the post-2021 standard, and treaty pairing designed in from the start - from our Belize City office.
What licence?+
FSC securities, SIA 2021.
Capital?+
US$500k trading.
What changed?+
IBC gone; code added.
How long?+
4-8 months realistic.
Treaties?+
Thin - pair elsewhere.
EU retail?+
No - layered instead.
Taxes?+
Territorial on receipts.
Bankable?+
Post-reform files, yes.
Or BVI?+
What you run decides.
Why you?+
Limits stated first.
Client notes
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Founders who wanted it done right.
Google4.7★★★★★
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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: which Belize route fits your project and what it will cost.
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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 FSC Belize or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.