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 CIMA decision, including banking and payment rails.
Get an investment license in Cayman Islands.
Where the fund already lives: CIMA licensing under the Securities Investment Business Act - the securities manager licence at CI$1,000 to apply and CI$5,000 a year, the Registered Person lane for institutional-only managers, and mutual or private fund registration at CI$4,125 in the domicile allocators default to.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
Cayman in brief
Manager and fund in one jurisdiction.
Cayman licenses investment business under SIBA, and the fee schedule maps the model precisely: a securities manager licence costs CI$1,000 to apply and CI$5,000 a year, a securities arranger CI$500 and CI$3,000, a broker-dealer CI$1,000 and CI$10,000 - with base financial resources of CI$100,000 for broker-dealers and CI$15,000 for other licensees. Managers serving only sophisticated, high-net-worth or group counterparties can instead take the Registered Person route at CI$6,000 to register and CI$6,000 annually - supervised, notified and materially lighter than a full licence. The choice between the two lanes is the first real decision, and it is a decision about your investors, not your ambition.
The commercial case is proximity in the other direction: Cayman is the world's dominant fund domicile, so the manager licensed here sits inside the jurisdiction where its own vehicles already are. A regulated mutual fund pays CI$4,125 annually (master funds CI$3,075), a private fund CI$4,125, with alternative investment vehicles and segregated portfolios at CI$525 each. There is no corporate income tax, no capital gains tax and no withholding - the fiscal relationship is licence and registry fees, known to the dollar. For hedge-fund managers, private-equity sponsors and family offices whose LPs expect a Cayman vehicle, licensing the manager beside the fund removes a border. We build both ends.
Manager beside the fund: CIMA under SIBA - securities manager CI$1,000/CI$5,000 a year, broker-dealer CI$1,000/CI$10,000, arranger CI$500/CI$3,000, Registered Person CI$6,000/CI$6,000 for sophisticated and group investors only.
Mutual and private funds at CI$4,125 annually. No income, gains or withholding tax - economic substance is the condition. Built end to end.
The two lanes
The securities manager licence - or the Registered Person route.
CIMA runs two doors: a full SIBA licence for open models, a registration for managers serving sophisticated and group investors only. Investor profile decides. We test it first.
The full securities manager licence - or the Registered Person lane.
01 - SECURITIES MANAGER · SIBA
The full licence
Managing securities for any client base. CI$1,000 to apply, CI$5,000 annually, CI$15,000 base financial resources for non-broker licensees, with the full Regulatory framework behind it.
Managing securities for any client base. CI$1,000 to apply, CI$5,000 annually, CI$15,000 base financial resources for non-broker licensees, with the full Regulatory framework behind it.
- ✓Discretionary securities management
- ✓CI$1,000 application
- ✓CI$5,000 annual fee
- ✓CI$15,000 financial resources
- ✓Broker-dealer route CI$100,000
- ✓Any client base
02 - REGISTERED PERSON
The institutional lane
For managers serving sophisticated investors, high-net-worth persons and group entities only. CI$6,000 to register and CI$6,000 annually, supervised without the full licensing burden.
Registration for managers serving sophisticated, HNW and group investors only. CI$6,000 in and CI$6,000 a year, supervised, faster to live.
- ✓Sophisticated / HNW / group clients
- ✓CI$6,000 registration
- ✓CI$6,000 annually
- ✓Notification-based supervision
- ✓Faster to live than a licence
- ✓Upgrade path when clients widen
Fees per the CIMA schedule effective 1 January 2026. Eligibility for the Registered Person route is tested against the actual investor base at design.
Why Cayman
Six reasons managers choose the islands.
✓
The fund is already here
Allocators expect a Cayman vehicle by default. Licensing the manager beside it removes a jurisdiction from the structure.No border to cross.
✓
Two clear lanes
Full licence or Registered Person. CIMA prices supervision to the investor base, not to the ambition.Priced to investors.
✓
Fees you can budget
CI$5,000 a year for a securities manager, CI$4,125 for the fund. The fiscal relationship is a line item, not a variable.A line item, not a risk.
✓
No income tax at all
No corporate tax, no capital gains, no withholding. Carried interest and management fees are undiluted at entity level.Carry undiluted.
✓
The service bench
Administrators, auditors and fund counsel of global standard within a mile of the registry. Assembly is local.Within a mile.
✓
LP familiarity
Institutional investors have signed Cayman documents for decades. The diligence question never gets asked.Diligence never asks.
How it compares
How Cayman differs from other routes.
The comparison that matters: the fund world's home ground. With real substance and economic-substance filings attached.
Cayman vs other jurisdictions
| Feature |  Cayman Islands | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | SIBA + Funds Acts | Dealer or MiFID licences |
| Manager cost | CI$5,000/yr licence | €5k-£30k equivalents |
| Fund domicile | In the same jurisdiction | Cross-border pairing |
| Tax | None on income | 3%-30% elsewhere |
Regime
Cayman IslandsSIBA + Funds Acts
Other jurisdictionsDealer or MiFID licences
Manager cost
Cayman IslandsCI$5,000/yr licence
Other jurisdictions€5k-£30k equivalents
Fund domicile
Cayman IslandsIn the same jurisdiction
Other jurisdictionsCross-border pairing
Tax
Cayman IslandsNone on income
Other jurisdictions3%-30% elsewhere
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cayman Islands | Securities manager - CIMA | No income tax | CI$5,000/yr, CI$15k resources |
 BVI | Approved Manager / Cat 3 | No income tax | US$400M AUM cap, US$1,000 |
 Bahamas | Funds + SIA - SCB | No income tax | IFA 2019 fund categories |
 Luxembourg | Investment firm - CSSF | ≈23.9% aggregate | €75k-€750k, four eyes |
Cayman IslandsLicense typeSecurities manager - CIMA
TaxationNo income tax
RequirementsCI$5,000/yr, CI$15k resources
BVILicense typeApproved Manager / Cat 3
TaxationNo income tax
RequirementsUS$400M AUM cap, US$1,000
BahamasLicense typeFunds + SIA - SCB
TaxationNo income tax
RequirementsIFA 2019 fund categories
LuxembourgLicense typeInvestment firm - CSSF
Taxation≈23.9% aggregate
Requirements€75k-€750k, four eyes
Before you apply
Requirements for the Cayman licence.Requirements for the licence.
CIMA licenses a supervised operation with a real presence. The checklist below is what a passing file contains.
01
Cayman company. Incorporated for the licence with a registered office in the islands.
02
Lane decision. Full securities manager licence or Registered Person route, tested against the investor base.
03
Financial resources. CI$15,000 for non-broker licensees, CI$100,000 for broker-dealers, evidenced.
04
Fit-and-proper principals. Directors, senior officers and shareholders vetted to ultimate-owner level.
05
Two directors. With CIMA director-registration obligations satisfied.
06
Business plan. Strategy, investor base and projections the Authority can test.
07
Compliance architecture. A compliance officer, MLRO and documented procedures.
08
Auditor. An approved auditor engaged, with annual audited filings.
09
Economic substance. The filings and local activity the regime requires, planned once.
10
AML/CFT programme. Cayman's framework with named officers.
11
Fund structuring. The vehicle registered alongside the manager where the model needs one.
01
Cayman company, office.
02
Lane tested first.
03
CI$15k / CI$100k resources.
04
Principals vetted to UBO.
05
Two registered directors.
06
Testable business plan.
07
Compliance officer + MLRO.
08
Approved auditor engaged.
09
Substance filings planned.
10
AML programme live.
11
Fund registered alongside.
Reflects SIBA, the Mutual Funds Act and Private Funds Act as of 2026, with fees per the CIMA schedule effective 1 January 2026.SIBA + Funds Acts, fees from 1.1.2026.
How it works
From first call to the CIMA register.
01
Lane and vehicle
Investor base tested, lane chosen, fund architecture designed. One decision covering both.Investors decide.
02
Company and principals
Cayman entity, directors registered, financial resources evidenced.Directors registered.
03
The application
The CIMA file with plan, compliance and principals. Complete at submission.Complete at filing.
04
CIMA review
Queries answered on schedule. The Authority's questions met with prepared answers.Prepared answers.
05
Licence and fund live
Register entry, fund registered, banking and administration running. The structure operating whole.Manager and fund.
Quick facts
RegulatorCIMA
Securities managerCI$1,000 · CI$5,000/yr
Broker-dealerCI$1,000 · CI$10,000/yr
Securities arrangerCI$500 · CI$3,000/yr
Registered PersonCI$6,000 · CI$6,000/yr
Mutual / private fundCI$4,125 annual
Financial resourcesCI$15k · CI$100k dealer
Realistic timeline4-9 months
Annual fees fall due by 15 January; unpaid renewals past 31 March put a licence at risk. We run the calendar as routine.
On the ground in Cayman
Run from our George Town office.
Prifinance - Cayman Islands
George Town · Grand Cayman
George Town, Grand Cayman
01
Lane and structure
Licence or registration decided against the real investor base. With the fund vehicle designed in the same conversation.One conversation.
02
The CIMA file
Business plan, principals and financial-resources evidence. Complete at submission.Complete at filing.
03
Fund registration
Mutual or private fund registered beside the manager. Administrators, auditors and offering documents assembled.Beside the manager.
04
Substance and launch
Economic-substance filings, banking and custody sequenced. Manager and fund live together.Planned, then filed.
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 the Cayman Islands.
No income taxation at all. With economic substance as the price of the position.
No corporate income tax
Management fees and carried interest are untaxed at entity level. The reason the fund world settled here.Fees untaxed.
No capital gains tax
Portfolio appreciation and realisations sit outside any charge. Nothing erodes between gain and distribution.Nothing erodes.
No withholding taxes
Distributions to investors leave clean, in any currency, to any jurisdiction. The neutrality LPs price.Clean distributions.
Fees are the fiscal relationship
CI$5,000 for the manager, CI$4,125 for the fund, registry fees above. The annual cost is a known number.A known number.
Economic substance
Substance filings and real local activity are the modern condition. Engineered once, filed annually.Filed annually.
Investor-level neutrality
Investors are taxed where they live, not twice. The structural feature that makes pooling work at all.Taxed where you live.
Tax summary
Corporate income taxNone
Capital gains taxNone
Withholding taxesNone
State chargesLicence + registry fees
SubstanceRequired - planned once
*Figures as of 2026 per CIMA and Cayman law. Economic-substance and investor-level outcomes are modelled per structure.
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: Cayman 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 manager.
Follow Prifinance
Active across our channels.
How to Get an Asset Management License in 2026 (EU AIFM, BVI & Cayman)
Cayman Islands · CIMA
Launch your investment firm in the Cayman Islands with expert support.
Full-service assistance - from lane selection and fund structuring to CIMA licensing and substance filings - run through our George Town office.
Get a consultation →Free legal opinion
Is Cayman 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 Cayman investment licence: quick answers.
What licence does an investment manager need in Cayman?+
A securities investment business licence from CIMA under SIBA - the securities manager category for discretionary management, broker-dealer where dealing enters, arranger where the model only introduces. Managers serving sophisticated, high-net-worth or group investors only can take the Registered Person route instead.
What does it cost?+
Per the CIMA schedule effective 1 January 2026: securities manager CI$1,000 to apply and CI$5,000 annually; broker-dealer CI$1,000 and CI$10,000; securities arranger CI$500 and CI$3,000; Registered Person CI$6,000 and CI$6,000.
What financial resources are required?+
CI$100,000 for broker-dealers and CI$15,000 for other licensees as the base requirement, with the Regulatory framework calibrating above it by activity and risk.
What is the Registered Person route?+
A registration rather than a licence, available where the manager serves only sophisticated investors, high-net-worth persons or entities within its own group. It is supervised, notification-based and materially lighter, but eligibility is a fact about your investors, and we test it first before choosing it.
What does the fund itself cost?+
A regulated mutual fund pays CI$4,125 annually (master funds CI$3,075); a private fund CI$4,125, with alternative investment vehicles and segregated portfolios at CI$525 each. Manager and fund are budgeted together.
How are Cayman managers taxed?+
There is no corporate income tax, no capital gains tax and no withholding - the fiscal relationship is licence and registry fees. Economic-substance obligations apply and are engineered into the structure from the start.
How long does licensing take?+
Realistically 4-9 months including preparation, faster on the Registered Person route - CIMA moves at the pace of a complete file with vetted principals.
Why license the manager where the fund is?+
Because the alternative is a border: a manager licensed elsewhere managing a Cayman vehicle adds a jurisdiction, a set of advisers and a diligence question. Licensing both here collapses the structure into one supervised place.
Cayman or BVI for the fund manager?+
Cayman is the institutional default with deeper administration and the largest fund population; BVI's Approved Manager regime is faster and cheaper below its AUM thresholds. Fund size and LP expectations decide - we model both.
Why Prifinance for Cayman?+
Lane tested against real investors, manager and fund designed in one conversation, and substance filings planned before they are due - from our George Town office.
What licence?+
CIMA securities manager.
Cost?+
CI$1,000 + CI$5,000/yr.
Resources?+
CI$15k · CI$100k dealer.
Registered Person?+
Sophisticated/group only.
Fund cost?+
CI$4,125 annually.
Taxes?+
None - substance applies.
How long?+
4-9 months realistic.
Why here?+
The fund already is.
Or BVI?+
Size and LPs decide.
Why you?+
Manager + fund as one.
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
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Google
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Google
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Google
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Google
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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: which Cayman 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 CIMA or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.