Belize
Antigua & Barbuda
St Kitts & Nevis
St VincentNikolai 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 assessment, including banking and payment rails.
Investment license in Dominica: the ECSRC, not the FSU.
An investment license in Dominica is a regional licence: the Eastern Caribbean Securities Regulatory Commission (ECSRC) licenses broker-dealers and investment advisers for the Eastern Caribbean securities market, Dominica included, and the Financial Services Unit does not supervise securities business. The ECSRC licence fits a firm serving ECCU clients: a local company, a licensed principal and representative, EC$1.0 million paid-up for a broker-dealer or EC$250,000 for an adviser. With clients worldwide the licence sits elsewhere, and a Dominica IBC stays a registration inside the group.
30 yrs
of experienceof experience
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated · Reviewed by the Prifinance team
Dominica in brief
Investment license in Dominica: an ECSRC licence, outside the FSU's remit.
Dominica's Financial Services Unit calls itself the country's sole financial services regulatory authority, with two exceptions: commercial banks and securities business. Its published fee schedule prices what it does license: credit unions, insurance, money services businesses in classes A to E, offshore banking and virtual asset businesses, the last at EC$10,800 to apply and EC$32,400 to register. Schedule III of the FSU Act 2008 lists foreign-exchange and derivatives trading for customers and portfolio management among financial services business, yet the FSU has no licence category or fee for them. Securities business in Dominica is licensed by the ECSRC in Basseterre, St Kitts, under Dominica's Securities Act. The ECSRC's notice of 14 February 2023 names Act No. 21 of 2001; a new Securities Act, 2024 (Act No. 7 of 2024) received assent and was published in the Official Gazette of 3 January 2025, so which Act governs a new file is confirmed with the ECSRC per case.
For a broker-dealer the ECSRC wants a company established under the laws of an ECCU member territory, EC$1.0 million of paid-up capital, a principal and a representative it has licensed after the ECSM Certification Examination, premises it accepts and may inspect at the applicant's cost, and indemnity insurance or a fidelity bond. It charges EC$1,000 with the application, EC$3,000 on approval and EC$2,000 at each renewal on 1 April. An investment adviser needs EC$250,000 paid up and the same two licensed people; a company pays EC$3,000 on approval and EC$2,000 a year. On 7 November 2026 the register listed 16 broker-dealers, mostly banks and bank-group investment firms; one, licensed in June 2025, has its address in Roseau. The licence suits a firm whose clients are in the Eastern Caribbean. A brokerage or fund manager with investors worldwide licenses in the BVI or Cayman, in Saint Lucia as a fund manager, with CySEC or a Baltic regulator for the EU or with the DFSA for the Gulf, and keeps a Dominica IBC as a registered group company. Crypto businesses have the FSU's own virtual asset regime. We build any of these and read the certificates already sold.
The FSU does not supervise securities business. The regional ECSRC licenses broker-dealers and investment advisers in Dominica, as in the rest of the ECCU.
Entry: an ECCU company, a licensed principal and representative, EC$1.0 million paid-up for a broker-dealer or EC$250,000 for an adviser. Crypto has the FSU's VAB regime; clients worldwide mean a licence elsewhere.
What we actually build
The ECSRC licence for ECCU clients, another regulator for the rest.
Three routes, chosen by what you do and where your clients are: the ECSRC licence for securities business in the ECCU, a licence elsewhere for clients worldwide, the FSU's virtual asset regime for crypto.
ECSRC for the ECCU, VAB for crypto, elsewhere for the world.
01 - ECSRC LICENCE
Broker-dealer or investment adviser
For securities business in the Eastern Caribbean securities market. The applicant can be a Dominica company; its principal and representative hold ECSRC licences, and the ECSRC may inspect the premises at the applicant's cost.
For securities business in the Eastern Caribbean securities market. The applicant can be a Dominica company; its principal and representative hold ECSRC licences, and the ECSRC may inspect the premises at the applicant's cost.
- ✓Dominica or other ECCU company
- ✓Broker-dealer: EC$1.0 million paid-up
- ✓Adviser: EC$250,000 paid-up
- ✓Licensed principal and representative
- ✓ECSM Certification Examination
- ✓Renewal each 1 April
02 - CLIENTS WORLDWIDE
The licence where your clients are
Investment authorisation built where your investors are, with a Dominica IBC as a registered group company. Where the business is genuinely crypto, Dominica's own virtual asset regime at EC$10,800 to apply.
Clients worldwide: BVI or Cayman for funds, CySEC or Baltic for the EU, DFSA for the Gulf - or the FSU's VAB regime at EC$10,800 to apply if the business is crypto.
- ✓Funds - BVI, Cayman, Bahamas
- ✓EU mandates - CySEC / Baltic
- ✓Gulf - DFSA in the DIFC
- ✓Crypto - Dominica VAB regime
- ✓Dominica IBC as a group layer
- ✓Rescue of mis-sold structures
Based on the ECSRC's published requirements for broker-dealer and investment adviser licences and its register of 7 November 2026, the FSU's statement that it does not supervise securities business, and the FSU fee schedule.
Why read this page
Six things worth knowing before you buy.
✓
The FSU stops at securities
The FSU supervises Dominica's financial institutions except commercial banks and securities business. A securities licence comes from the ECSRC.Securities go to the ECSRC.
✓
The tariff still tells you
The FSU prices credit unions, insurance, money services, offshore banking and virtual assets. A 'securities licence' priced by the FSU does not exist.No FSU securities line.
✓
Built for a local firm
The applicant is a company of an ECCU member territory with a licensed principal and representative. The ECSRC may inspect the premises at the applicant's cost.ECCU company, ECSM exams.
✓
Who holds it today
On 7 November 2026 the register listed 16 broker-dealers, mostly banks and bank-group investment firms. One, licensed in June 2025, is in Roseau.16 broker-dealers, one in Roseau.
✓
The VAB regime is real
Virtual asset businesses have a priced, published FSU category at EC$10,800 to apply. Worth examining if crypto is the actual business.Priced and published.
✓
Rescue is a real service
If you already hold a certificate, bring it. We check it against the ECSRC register and rebuild the structure around something that exists.Register checked first.
How it compares
How Dominica's licensed route compares.
Side by side: the ECSRC licence Dominica shares with the ECCU and the regulators a business with clients worldwide uses instead. The FSU's crypto category sits apart.
Dominica vs licensed jurisdictions
| Feature |  Dominica | Licensed jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Securities regulator | ECSRC, regional · not the FSU | National: BVI FSC, CIMA, CySEC, DFSA |
| Market | Eastern Caribbean securities market | The clients each regulator covers |
| Broker-dealer capital | EC$1.0 million paid-up | Set by each regulator |
| Right use | ECCU clients · VAB if crypto | Clients worldwide |
Securities regulator
DominicaECSRC, regional · not the FSU
Licensed jurisdictionsNational: BVI FSC, CIMA, CySEC, DFSA
Market
DominicaEastern Caribbean securities market
Licensed jurisdictionsThe clients each regulator covers
Broker-dealer capital
DominicaEC$1.0 million paid-up
Licensed jurisdictionsSet by each regulator
Right use
DominicaECCU clients · VAB if crypto
Licensed jurisdictionsClients worldwide
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominica | ECSRC broker-dealer · adviser | Confirmed per structure | EC$1.0M paid-up, licensed people |
 St Lucia | Fund manager - IMFA, Cap. 12.16 | Income tax for IBCs since 2019 | US$100,000 paid-up, agent |
 BVI | Approved Manager / Cat 3 | No income tax | US$400M AUM cap, file 7 days ahead |
 Bahamas | Funds + SIA 2024 - SCB | No income tax | IFA 2019 fund categories |
DominicaLicense typeECSRC broker-dealer · adviser
TaxationConfirmed per structure
RequirementsEC$1.0M paid-up, licensed people
St LuciaLicense typeFund manager - IMFA, Cap. 12.16
TaxationIncome tax for IBCs since 2019
RequirementsUS$100,000 paid-up, agent
BVILicense typeApproved Manager / Cat 3
TaxationNo income tax
RequirementsUS$400M AUM cap, file 7 days ahead
BahamasLicense typeFunds + SIA 2024 - SCB
TaxationNo income tax
RequirementsIFA 2019 fund categories
The Caribbean and the Atlantic
Investment licences in neighbouring jurisdictions
All 113 investment licence jurisdictions →
Investment license cost: capital, official fees and timelines by country →
How to get an investment license: types, requirements and process →
Asset management and fund management license: regimes compared →
Broker-dealer and securities dealer license: regimes compared →
Before you buy anything
Ten questions to ask any provider.Ten questions for any provider.
If a provider offers a 'Dominica investment licence', ask these in writing. A real one is an ECSRC licence with an entry on its register.
01
Which statute creates this licence? Name the Act and section.
02
Is it an ECSRC licence? The FSU does not supervise securities business.
03
Show me the entry on the ECSRC register of licensees, with its licence number.
04
Which clients may I serve under it: the ECCU only, or the EU, the UK, the US?
05
How does it differ from a plain Dominica IBC?
06
Which banks have opened accounts for holders of this document?
07
Where is the paid-up capital: EC$1.0 million for a broker-dealer, EC$250,000 for an adviser?
08
Who supervises me after issuance, and what do they inspect?
09
If my business is crypto, why is this not the VAB regime?
10
Will you put every answer above in writing, on your letterhead?
01
Which Act creates it?
02
Is it an ECSRC licence?
03
Show the ECSRC register entry.
04
Which clients may I serve?
05
How is it not just an IBC?
06
Which banks accepted it?
07
Where is the capital?
08
Who supervises after?
09
If crypto. Why not VAB?
10
Will you write this down?
We answer all ten for any jurisdiction we build in, in writing, before you engage us. So should anyone else.We answer all ten in writing. So should anyone.
Verify it yourself
Official sources
Regulator pages, legal texts and public registers the figures on this page are based on.
- RegulatorECSRC - Requirements for Broker Dealer Licence: EC$1.0 million paid-up, EC$1,000 / EC$3,000 / EC$2,000ecsrc.com
- RegulatorECSRC - Requirements for Investment Advisor Licence: EC$250,000 paid-up, fees for companies and individualsecsrc.com
- RegisterECSRC - Register of Licensees: Broker Dealerecsrc.com
- LawOfficial Gazette (Extraordinary) No. 1 of 3 January 2025: assent to the Securities Act, 2024 (No. 7 of 2024) and the ECSRC Agreement Act, 2024 - Government Printery of Dominicaprintery.dominica.gov.dm
- RegulatorECSRC - Market notice of 14 February 2023 listing the Securities Acts enforced in the ECSM, Dominica's Act No. 21 of 2001 among themecsrc.com
- RegulatorFinancial Services Unit of Dominica - sole financial services regulator, except commercial banks and securities businessfsu.gov.dm
- LawFinancial Services Unit Act, 2008 (Act No. 18 of 2008), Schedule III: financial services business - Government of Dominicadominica.gov.dm
- FeesFSU Dominica - Fees: credit unions, insurance, money services, offshore banking and virtual asset businessesfsu.gov.dm
How it works
From first call to a structure that stands.
01
The real map
Investor geography, activity type and which door applies: the ECSRC, the VAB regime or a licence elsewhere.Which door applies?
02
The licence decision
ECCU clients: an ECSRC broker-dealer or adviser licence. Clients worldwide: a licence where they are. Crypto: the FSU's VAB route.ECSRC, VAB or abroad.
03
Company and people
The company formed with its paid-up capital; the principal and the representative through the ECSM Certification Examination.Capital, ECSM exams.
04
Filing
Form 1 or Form 3 goes to the ECSRC in Basseterre with the documents and the prescribed fee, or the licence file is run in the chosen jurisdiction.Form 1 or 3, Basseterre.
05
Group live
Licence granted, with the Dominica company in its proper role and banking opened on the strength of the register entry.Register supports it.
Quick facts
Securities regulatorECSRC, Basseterre
StatuteSecurities Act, 2001 or 2024
Broker-dealer capitalEC$1.0 million paid-up
Adviser capitalEC$250,000 paid-up
ECSRC feesEC$1,000 · EC$3,000 · EC$2,000
FSUNo securities supervision
Virtual assets (FSU)EC$10,800 · EC$32,400
IBCRegistration, not a licence
Two doors are priced here: the ECSRC licence for securities business and the FSU's virtual asset regime for virtual asset businesses. What the business actually does decides which one applies.
On the ground in Dominica
Run from our Roseau office.
Prifinance - Dominica
Roseau · Dominica
Roseau, Dominica
01
Frank assessment
Where your clients are and what you do for them, mapped before any invoice exists.Before the invoice.
02
The ECSRC file
Dominica company, paid-up capital, licensed principal and representative, premises ready for the ECSRC's inspection.Company, capital, people.
03
VAB where it fits
If the business is genuinely crypto, the virtual asset route examined on its own published terms.On published terms.
04
Licences elsewhere
For investors worldwide, the licence built where they are, with the Dominica IBC registered cleanly as a group layer.Where investors are.
We also have offices in
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
Costs and taxation in Dominica.
Both regulators publish their prices. The Dominica company adds its own formation and annual costs on top.
ECSRC fees, broker-dealer
EC$1,000 with the application, non-refundable, EC$3,000 on approval and EC$2,000 at each renewal on 1 April.EC$1,000 · 3,000 · 2,000.
ECSRC fees, adviser
A company pays EC$3,000 on approval and EC$2,000 each 1 April. An individual adviser pays EC$4,000 and EC$2,500.EC$3,000, then 2,000.
The VAB tariff is published
EC$10,800 to apply and EC$32,400 to register for virtual asset businesses. A real, priced FSU category.EC$10,800 · 32,400.
Formation and annual fees
Incorporation, registered agent and annual filings for the Dominica company, itemised before you start.Itemised up front.
XCD pegged at 2.70
The East Caribbean dollar is pegged to the US dollar - no currency exposure inside the structure.2.70 to the dollar.
Thin treaty map
Cross-border flows are routed through networked jurisdictions, deliberately, at design.Route deliberately.
Cost summary
ECSRC broker-dealerEC$1,000 · EC$3,000 · EC$2,000
ECSRC adviser (company)EC$3,000 · EC$2,000 a year
VAB regime (FSU)EC$10,800 · EC$32,400
CurrencyXCD pegged 2.70 : US$1
TreatiesThin - route deliberately
*As of November 2026 per the ECSRC's licence requirements and the FSU's published fee schedule. Company tax and group 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: Dominica 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 structure that stands.
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Dominica · ECSRC and FSU
Build the structure that actually works.
We file with the ECSRC when your clients are in the ECCU, use the FSU's virtual asset regime when the business is crypto, and license elsewhere when clients are worldwide - with the difference explained first.
Get a consultation →Free legal opinion
What do you actually need?
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
Dominica: quick answers.
Is there an investment license in Dominica?+
Yes, a regional one. The ECSRC licenses broker-dealers, investment advisers and their principals and representatives for the Eastern Caribbean securities market, Dominica included. The Financial Services Unit does not supervise securities business: its fee schedule covers credit unions, insurance, money services businesses, offshore banking and virtual asset businesses.
Why is there no securities license on the FSU tariff?+
Because the FSU supervises Dominica's financial institutions except commercial banks and securities business. The securities licence is the ECSRC's, and the ECSRC publishes its own requirements and fees.
Who is the ECSRC license for?+
A firm doing securities business in the Eastern Caribbean. It needs a company of an ECCU member territory with EC$1.0 million paid up as a broker-dealer or EC$250,000 as an investment adviser, a licensed principal and representative who passed the ECSM Certification Examination, and premises the ECSRC may inspect. On 7 November 2026 the register listed 16 broker-dealers, one of them in Roseau.
When is the ECSRC license the wrong tool?+
When your investors are worldwide. A regional licence gives no right to serve clients in the EU, the UK or the US, so the licence goes where they are: the BVI or Cayman for funds, CySEC or a Baltic regulator for EU mandates, the DFSA for the Gulf, Saint Lucia for a fund manager under the IMFA, Cap. 12.16.
Which Act governs an ECSRC license in Dominica?+
Dominica's Securities Act. The ECSRC's notice of 14 February 2023 names Act No. 21 of 2001; the Securities Act, 2024 (Act No. 7 of 2024) received assent and was published in the Official Gazette of 3 January 2025, together with the ECSRC Agreement Act, 2024. Which of the two governs a new file is confirmed with the ECSRC per case.
What does an ECSRC license cost?+
A broker-dealer pays EC$1,000 with the application, EC$3,000 on approval and EC$2,000 at each renewal on 1 April; an investment adviser company pays EC$3,000 on approval and EC$2,000 a year. On-site inspections are at the applicant's cost, and our own fee comes in writing after a free assessment.
What is the virtual asset regime?+
A genuine, published category under Act 1 of 2022 - EC$10,800 to apply and EC$32,400 to register. If your business is actually a virtual asset business, it is worth examining on its own terms.
I was quoted a 'Dominica securities license'. What is it?+
Ask for the ECSRC register entry. A genuine securities licence for Dominica is an ECSRC licence with a number on that register; a document without one is, in nearly every case, an IBC formation with confident wording.
Can I still use a Dominica company?+
Yes - as the ECSRC applicant if your clients are in the ECCU, or as an operating or holding layer inside a group licensed elsewhere.
Can a Dominica company get a forex license?+
Not from the FSU. Its fee schedule has no forex category, and Schedule III of the FSU Act 2008 lists foreign-exchange and derivatives trading for customers among financial services business without any FSU licence or fee for it. Securities business in Dominica needs an ECSRC licence, and whether a CFD or rolling FX product counts as a security is settled with the ECSRC product by product. The Dominica forex page sets out the group build.
Why does Prifinance publish this?+
Because a structure that fails its first bank review costs far more than the truth. We start with the ECSRC register and your client map, and build the structure that stands.
Investment license?+
Yes, regional: the ECSRC.
Not on the FSU tariff?+
The FSU excludes securities.
Who is it for?+
Firms serving the ECCU.
Wrong tool when?+
Investors worldwide.
Which Act?+
2001 or 2024, per case.
Cost?+
EC$1,000 + EC$3,000; EC$2,000 a year.
VAB regime?+
Real - EC$10,800 in.
Quoted one?+
Check the ECSRC register.
Use the company?+
Yes - applicant or layer.
Can a Dominica company get a forex license?+
Not from the FSU. Its fee schedule has no forex category, and Schedule III of the FSU Act 2008 lists foreign-exchange and derivatives trading for customers among financial services business without any FSU licence or fee for it. Securities business in Dominica needs an ECSRC licence, and whether a CFD or rolling FX product counts as a security is settled with the ECSRC product by product. The Dominica forex page sets out the group build.
Why publish?+
Truth costs less.
Client notes
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