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 sober assessment, including banking and payment rails.
The real answer on St Kitts & Nevis.
The Financial Services Regulatory Commission licenses insurance, money services, fiduciaries, gaming, credit unions and pensions - investment firms and fund managers are not on its list. What the Federation genuinely offers a manager is the Nevis holding layer and its charging-order protection, sitting above a licence held somewhere real.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
St Kitts & Nevis in brief
Read the regulator's own list.
The FSRC publishes what it regulates, and the list is specific: credit unions, the development bank, money services businesses, domestic and captive insurers, insurance brokers and agents, private pension funds, companies and limited partnerships, trusts, escrow agents, gaming entities and fiduciary-services providers. Investment firms, securities dealers, fund managers and fund administrators do not appear on it. That is not a technicality to argue around - it is the answer. A document offering a St Kitts and Nevis 'investment licence' or 'fund manager licence' describes something the Commission's own published framework does not contain.
What the Federation does offer is different and genuinely valuable: Nevis company and LLC law, with charging-order protection that makes the Nevis vehicle one of the strongest holding layers available to a manager who owns a licensed business elsewhere. The correct architecture is layered - the regulated activity licensed where investors live, the ownership and asset-protection layer in Nevis, each described as what it is. We build both halves, and we say the quiet part on the page: if you were quoted a Nevis investment licence, you were quoted a company formation with confident wording attached.
The FSRC's published list covers credit unions, money services, insurers, pensions, trusts, escrow, gaming and fiduciaries - investment firms and fund managers are not on it. A 'Nevis fund licence' describes something the framework does not contain.
What Nevis genuinely offers is charging-order protection for the holding layer above a licence held somewhere real. We build both halves cleanly.
What we actually build
The protection layer - and the licence where it belongs.
Two concrete deliverables: a Nevis holding structure that does real work, and authorisation in the jurisdiction that governs your investors.
The Nevis holding layer. The licence where investors are.
01 - NEVIS HOLDING LAYER
The protection layer
A Nevis LLC or business company as the ownership vehicle above a licensed operating business. Charging-order protection, clean records and accurate documentation.
A Nevis LLC or business company as the ownership vehicle above a licensed operating business. Charging-order protection, clean records and accurate documentation.
- ✓Nevis LLC or business company
- ✓Charging-order protection
- ✓Ownership above the licensee
- ✓Registered agent engaged
- ✓Days to formation
- ✓No 'licence' claimed anywhere
02 - THE REAL LICENCE
The licence, where it belongs
Investment authorisation built where your investors are. The BVI or Cayman for funds, Cyprus or the Baltics for EU mandates, the DIFC for the Gulf, Saint Lucia for small fund businesses.
Authorisation built where investors live. BVI or Cayman for funds, CySEC or Baltic for the EU, DFSA for the Gulf, St Lucia for small fund businesses.
- ✓Funds - BVI, Cayman, Bahamas
- ✓EU mandates - CySEC / Baltic
- ✓Gulf - DFSA in the DIFC
- ✓Small fund business - St Lucia IMFA
- ✓Migration from paper structures
- ✓One group, one coherent map
Based on the FSRC's own published list of regulated entities as of 2026, which does not include investment firms, fund managers or fund administrators.
Why read this page
Six things worth knowing before you buy.
✓
The list is public
The FSRC publishes its regulated categories. Investment firms are not among them. Check the source before the brochure.Check the source.
✓
Nevis law is the real asset
Charging-order protection is genuine, tested and valuable. For holding, which is what it was built for.Protection, for holding.
✓
Layering is legitimate
Nevis above, licence below: a standard, defensible architecture when each layer is described accurately.Each layer, exact.
✓
Banks check categories
Compliance teams compare your claimed licence against the regulator's list. Mismatches end the conversation.Mismatches end talks.
✓
Citizenship is separate
The Federation's investment-migration programme is a personal matter and confers no financial-services authorisation.Entirely unrelated.
✓
Rescue is routine
Structures built on a mis-sold certificate can usually be rebuilt around a real licence. Bring the paperwork.Bring the paperwork.
How it compares
How the Federation differs from licensed routes.
Numbers next to numbers: a strong holding law against actual investment authorisations.
St Kitts & Nevis vs licensed jurisdictions
| Feature |  St Kitts & Nevis | Licensed jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Instrument | Company registration | Supervised licence |
| Regulator's list | No investment category | Dealers, managers, funds |
| Genuine strength | Charging-order protection | Market access |
| Right use | Holding layer | The regulated business |
Instrument
St Kitts & NevisCompany registration
Licensed jurisdictionsSupervised licence
Regulator's list
St Kitts & NevisNo investment category
Licensed jurisdictionsDealers, managers, funds
Genuine strength
St Kitts & NevisCharging-order protection
Licensed jurisdictionsMarket access
Right use
St Kitts & NevisHolding layer
Licensed jurisdictionsThe regulated business
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Kitts & Nevis | Registration only | Entity fees | No investment category |
 St Lucia | Fund manager - IMFA 1999 | Entity + licence fees | Ministerial consent, agent |
 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 |
St Kitts & NevisLicense typeRegistration only
TaxationEntity fees
RequirementsNo investment category
St LuciaLicense typeFund manager - IMFA 1999
TaxationEntity + licence fees
RequirementsMinisterial consent, agent
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
Before you buy anything
Ten questions to ask any provider.Ten questions for any provider.
If a provider offers a Nevis 'investment' or 'fund manager' licence, ask these in writing before paying anything.
01
Which statute creates this licence. Name the Act and section.
02
Where does it appear on the FSRC's published list of regulated entities?
03
Send me a register link showing a current holder of this exact licence.
04
Which clients may I serve under it. EU retail? UK? US?
05
How does it differ from a plain Nevis LLC or business company?
06
Which banks have opened accounts for holders of this document?
07
What capital, audit and reporting obligations attach to it?
08
Who supervises me after issuance, and what do they inspect?
09
What happens when an investor complains to their own regulator?
10
Will you put every answer above in writing, on your letterhead?
01
Which Act creates it?
02
Where on the FSRC list?
03
Send the register link.
04
Which clients may I serve?
05
How is it not just an LLC?
06
Which banks accepted it?
07
Capital and audit?
08
Who supervises after?
09
What if an investor complains?
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.
How it works
From first call to a structure that stands.
01
The full map
Investor geography, licensing need and the Nevis layer's real role. Stated before anything is built.Roles stated.
02
The licence decision
The regulated jurisdiction chosen on coverage, not on price.Coverage first.
03
Nevis formation
The holding vehicle formed with agent and records while the licence file is prepared in parallel.Agent and records.
04
Authorisation
The real application run to grant in the chosen jurisdiction.Run to grant.
05
Group live
Licensed entity operating, Nevis holding above it, banking open because the register supports it.Register supports it.
Quick facts
AuthorityFSRC
Investment licenceNot a regulated category
FSRC licensesInsurance · MSB · fiduciary
Also regulatedGaming · pensions · trusts
VehicleNevis LLC / BC
Signature lawCharging-order protection
FormationDays
Right useHolding layer of a group
The FSRC's published categories are the test. If a claimed licence is not among them, no argument about interpretation changes what a bank will see.
On the ground in St Kitts & Nevis
Run from our Basseterre office.
Prifinance - St Kitts & Nevis
Basseterre · St Kitts
Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis
01
Clear-eyed assessment
What the Federation can and cannot do for your structure. Before any invoice exists.Before the invoice.
02
Nevis holding build
LLC or business company formed as a genuine ownership and protection layer, documented as exactly that.Real work, described.
03
The real licence
Authorisation built where your investors live. The regulated part in a regulated place.Where investors are.
04
Rescue and migration
Mis-sold certificates read, explained and replaced with a structure that survives diligence.Rebuilt to survive.
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
Costs and taxation in St Kitts & Nevis.
Entity economics and a genuinely strong holding law. With the licence economics living elsewhere.
Formation and annual fees
Incorporation, registered agent and annual filings. The real cost of a Nevis vehicle.Modest and predictable.
No investment licence fees
There are none, because the category does not exist. Anything billed as one is a service fee.No such category.
Charging-order protection
Nevis law limits a judgment creditor's remedy against an LLC interest. The reason the vehicle is worth holding.The real feature.
No local personal income tax
The Federation levies no personal income tax locally. Relevant to owners, not to the licensed entity.Locally, for owners.
Planning sits above
With no licensed activity here, planning happens at group and owner level. Where the substance is.Group and owner.
Thin treaty map
Cross-border flows are routed through networked jurisdictions, deliberately, at design.Route deliberately.
Cost summary
Entity costsFormation + annual fees
Licence feesNone - no such category
Personal income taxNone locally
Planning levelGroup + owner
TreatiesThin - route deliberately
*Position as of 2026 per the FSRC's published framework. Owner-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: Nevis 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.
Follow Prifinance
Active across our channels.
St Kitts & Nevis · the real route
Build the structure that actually works.
We use Nevis for what Nevis is good at and license where it counts - with the difference explained before you spend anything.
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
St Kitts & Nevis, answered plainly.
Is there an investment licence in St Kitts and Nevis?+
No. The FSRC's published list of regulated entities covers credit unions, money services, insurance, pensions, trusts, escrow agents, gaming and fiduciary services - investment firms, securities dealers and fund managers are not among them.
Providers advertise Nevis fund licences - what are those?+
Company formations with confident wording. Ask which Act creates the licence and where it appears on the Commission's list; the silence that follows is the answer.
So what is Nevis actually good for?+
Holding. Nevis LLC and company law offers charging-order protection that makes it one of the strongest ownership layers available above a licensed operating business - a genuine, tested, valuable feature used for its real purpose.
What is charging-order protection?+
Under Nevis law a judgment creditor's remedy against a member's LLC interest is limited to a charging order rather than seizure or forced liquidation, which is why the vehicle is chosen for ownership rather than operations.
Can I use Nevis in a licensed group?+
Yes, and it is common: the licensed manager operates where investors are, the Nevis vehicle holds the ownership. Each layer does one job and is described accurately to banks and regulators.
Does citizenship by investment help?+
No - the Federation's investment-migration programme is a personal immigration matter and confers no financial-services authorisation whatsoever. The two are unrelated.
I already bought a 'Nevis investment licence'. What now?+
Bring the documents. We will read them, tell you what you actually own, and rebuild the structure around a licence that exists - much of our Federation work begins this way.
Where should the licence be instead?+
Where your investors are: the BVI or Cayman for funds, CySEC or a Baltic regulator for EU mandates, the DFSA for the Gulf, Saint Lucia for a small fund business under IMFA 1999.
Is the Federation a bad jurisdiction?+
No - it is a functioning one with a real registry, a published regulatory framework and excellent company law. The problem is a product sold in its name that the framework does not contain.
Why does Prifinance publish this?+
Because a structure that fails its first bank review costs more than the truth does. We would rather build one that stands.
Licence here?+
Not a regulated category.
What's advertised?+
Formations with wording.
Nevis good for?+
Holding and protection.
Charging order?+
Creditor remedy limited.
Use in a group?+
Yes - layered properly.
Citizenship?+
No authorisation at all.
Already bought?+
Bring it; we rebuild.
Where instead?+
Where investors are.
Bad jurisdiction?+
No - bad product.
Why publish?+
Truth costs less.
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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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 FSRC or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.