Cayman Islands
Dominica
St Kitts & Nevis
Jamaica
BermudaNikolai 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 St Vincent: a fund manager licence.
An investment license in St Vincent and the Grenadines is the FSA's licence for mutual fund managers and administrators under the Mutual Funds Act, Cap. 154; the FSA's list shows 8 managers, 1 administrator and 3 firms licensed as both. Dealing in securities and advising on them need a regional licence from the ECSRC. Forex is different: the FSA issues no forex licence, and a BC or LLC in that business must be licensed where its clients are.
30 yrs
of experienceof experience
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated · Reviewed by the Prifinance team
St Vincent in brief
Investment license in St Vincent: a fund licence exists, a forex licence does not.
St Vincent and the Grenadines licenses fund business. Section 22 of the Mutual Funds Act, Cap. 154 bars anyone from carrying on business in or from the State as a manager or administrator of mutual funds without a licence, and the FSA grants one when satisfied that the applicant is fit and proper, has the knowledge, expertise, resources and facilities the business needs and has appointed an auditor (s. 24). The FSA's list shows 8 licensed managers, 1 administrator, 3 firms licensed as both and 5 recognised managers and administrators. Public funds register with the FSA; private and accredited funds are recognised. More broadly, the FSA regulates international and non-bank financial business: international banks, mutual funds, international insurers, registered agents, credit unions and domestic insurers. A BC can hold a mutual funds licence, but it may not carry on that business until the FSA grants one.
Securities business is regional. The Eastern Caribbean Securities Regulatory Commission (ECSRC), seated in Basseterre, St Kitts, licenses broker-dealers, investment advisers and their principals and representatives under the Securities Act of each ECCU member, St Vincent included; on 7 November 2026 two of the 16 broker-dealers on its register had Kingstown addresses, a bank and a bank-group investment firm. Forex brokerage has no licence here. The FSA's notice of 2 February 2026 says it issues no licences for forex trading or brokerage and does not regulate or license BCs or LLCs in that business, which must obtain a licence where their clients are located. An 'SVG forex licence' sold online is therefore a BC incorporation with a certificate no regulator issued. Where the business is fund management, we file the FSA licence in Kingstown. Everything else goes to the regulator of the clients, with the SVG company as a group layer.
St Vincent licenses fund business: the FSA grants manager and administrator licences under s. 22 of the Mutual Funds Act, Cap. 154, with 8 managers, 1 administrator and 3 firms holding both on its list. Securities dealing and advice need an ECSRC licence.
Forex has no licence: the FSA issues none (notice of 2 February 2026), and a BC or LLC is a registration. We file the fund licence and build the rest where it belongs - or read the certificate you already bought.
What we actually build
A fund licence here - securities with the ECSRC or where clients are.
Two concrete deliverables: the FSA's licence for a fund manager or administrator, and, for dealing or advice, the ECSRC licence or a licence where your clients are. A BC or LLC on its own is neither.
The FSA fund licence here. Securities with the ECSRC or where clients are.
01 - FUND MANAGER · CAP. 154
The FSA fund licence
A manager or administrator licence under s. 22 of the Mutual Funds Act, granted by the FSA on fitness, expertise, resources and an auditor meeting its conditions. Public funds are registered and private or accredited funds recognised alongside.
A manager or administrator licence under s. 22 of the Mutual Funds Act, granted by the FSA on fitness, expertise, resources and an auditor meeting its conditions. Public funds are registered and private or accredited funds recognised alongside.
- ✓Manager, administrator or both
- ✓Fit and proper under s. 24
- ✓Auditor appointed
- ✓Registered agent in St Vincent
- ✓Annual renewal with the FSA
- ✓No forex licence attached
02 - SECURITIES AND GLOBAL BOOKS
The licence, where it belongs
Dealing or advice for Eastern Caribbean clients needs an ECSRC licence: EC$1.0 million paid-up for a broker-dealer, EC$250,000 for a corporate adviser. A global book is licensed where its clients are: Cyprus or Estonia for EU mandates, the DIFC for the Gulf, Seychelles for global retail.
ECSRC licence for Eastern Caribbean securities clients, EC$1.0 million for a broker-dealer. Abroad: CySEC or Baltic for the EU, DFSA for the Gulf, Seychelles for global books.
- ✓ECSRC broker-dealer - EC$1.0 million
- ✓ECSRC adviser - EC$250,000
- ✓EU mandates - CySEC / Baltic
- ✓Gulf - DFSA in the DIFC
- ✓Global books - FSA Seychelles
- ✓One group, one coherent map
The FSA's notice of 2 February 2026: no licences for forex trading or brokerage, and BCs or LLCs in that business must be licensed where their clients are located. An 'SVG investment licence' is real only as an FSA fund licence on its list or an ECSRC licence on the ECSRC register.
Why read this page
Six things worth knowing before you buy.
✓
A fund licence exists
The FSA licenses mutual fund managers and administrators under s. 22 of Cap. 154. Its list shows 8 managers, 1 administrator and 3 firms holding both.8 managers on the FSA list.
✓
Banks read registers
Account opening fails at the first look-up. The cost of a paper licence is not its fee; it is the year lost before you learn.First check fails.
✓
Clients decide the licence
Where your investors live determines what you need. That question has one real answer, and it is never 'wherever is cheapest'.Not the cheapest flag.
✓
Securities are regional
Broker-dealers and investment advisers are licensed by the ECSRC for all eight ECCU members, St Vincent included. Its register is public.ECSRC for all eight.
✓
Forex has no licence
The FSA issues no licence for forex trading or brokerage. A certificate claiming otherwise was not issued by a regulator: check the register, not the certificate.Check the register.
✓
Rescue is a real service
If you already bought one, the structure can usually be rebuilt around a real licence. Most of our SVG work starts this way.Most files start here.
How it compares
How St Vincent compares with other routes.
Side by side: the FSA's fund licence, the ECSRC's securities licence and what a global book needs elsewhere.
St Vincent vs licensed jurisdictions
| Feature |  St Vincent | Licensed jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Fund manager | FSA licence, Cap. 154 | CIMA, BVI FSC |
| Securities dealing | ECSRC licence, regional | CySEC, DFSA |
| Forex brokerage | No FSA licence | Licence where clients are |
| BC or LLC | Registration only | Licence on the register |
Fund manager
St VincentFSA licence, Cap. 154
Licensed jurisdictionsCIMA, BVI FSC
Securities dealing
St VincentECSRC licence, regional
Licensed jurisdictionsCySEC, DFSA
Forex brokerage
St VincentNo FSA licence
Licensed jurisdictionsLicence where clients are
BC or LLC
St VincentRegistration only
Licensed jurisdictionsLicence on the register
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Vincent | Fund manager - Cap. 154 | Entity fees | FSA licence, auditor |
 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, US$1,000 |
 Cyprus | CIF - CySEC | 12.5% · 15% large | IFD tiers, EU passport |
St VincentLicense typeFund manager - Cap. 154
TaxationEntity fees
RequirementsFSA licence, auditor
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, US$1,000
CyprusLicense typeCIF - CySEC
Taxation12.5% · 15% large
RequirementsIFD tiers, EU passport
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 you an 'SVG investment licence', ask these in writing. A real FSA fund licence or ECSRC licence answers each one in a line; a certificate sold with a BC does not.
01
Which statute creates this licence? Name the Act and the section: s. 22 of Cap. 154 for a fund manager, the Securities Act for an ECSRC licence.
02
Which regulator issues it, and where is it listed: the FSA's mutual funds list or the ECSRC register?
03
Send me the register link showing a current holder of this exact licence.
04
Which clients may I serve under it. EU retail? UK? US?
05
What does the FSA's notice of 2 February 2026 say about forex trading and brokerage?
06
Which banks have opened accounts for holders of this document in the last year?
07
What capital, reporting and audit obligations attach to it?
08
Who supervises me after issuance, and what do they inspect?
09
What happens when a client in the EU complains to their own regulator?
10
Will you put every answer above in writing, on your letterhead?
01
Which Act creates it?
02
Which regulator issues it?
03
Send the register link.
04
Which clients may I serve?
05
What does the FSA say?
06
Which banks accepted it?
07
Capital and reporting?
08
Who supervises after?
09
What if a client 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.
Verify it yourself
Official sources
Regulator pages, legal texts and public registers the figures on this page are based on.
- RegulatorFSA St Vincent and the Grenadines - International financial services: the sectors it regulates, application forms and Actsfsasvg.com
- RegulatorFSA of St Vincent and the Grenadines - warning notice of 2 February 2026: no licences for forex trading or brokeragefsasvg.com
- LawMutual Funds Act, Cap. 154 (Act No. 6 of 1997, as amended): s. 22, licences for fund managers and administrators, with the Mutual Funds Regulations - FSA St Vincent and the Grenadinesfsasvg.com
- RegisterFSA SVG - Mutual funds: licensed fund managers and administrators, private and public fundsfsasvg.com
- FeesFSA St Vincent and the Grenadines - Business companies: registration and annual fees, licensable activitiesfsasvg.com
- RegulatorECSRC - Requirements for Broker Dealer Licenceecsrc.com
- RegulatorECSRC - Requirements for Investment Advisor Licenceecsrc.com
- RegisterECSRC - Register of Licensees: Broker Dealerecsrc.com
How it works
From first call to a structure that stands.
01
The working map
Where your investors are, what that requires, and which part St Vincent can license: fund management and administration.What you need.
02
The licence decision
FSA fund licence, ECSRC licence or a licence abroad, chosen on client geography. Coverage first, cost second.Coverage first.
03
Registration and build
The SVG entity registered cleanly while the licence file is prepared in parallel.Clean and parallel.
04
Authorisation
The real application run to grant. The phase that takes months and is worth them.Months, worth them.
05
Group live
Licensed entity operating, SVG company in its proper role, banking open because the register says so.Register says so.
Quick facts
AuthoritySVG FSA
Fund licenceManager · administrator
Fund statuteMutual Funds Act, Cap. 154
On the FSA list8 managers · 1 administrator · 3 both
Securities businessECSRC licence
ForexNo FSA licence
BC formationWithin 24 hours
BC feesUS$125 · US$100 a year
The FSA grants a fund manager or administrator licence once satisfied on fitness, expertise, resources and the auditor (s. 24 of Cap. 154). A forex book has no FSA stage at all: its licence sits where the clients are.
On the ground in St Vincent
Run from our Kingstown office.
Prifinance - St Vincent
Kingstown · St Vincent
Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines
01
Sober assessment
What you actually need, mapped to where your investors live: FSA fund licence, ECSRC licence or a licence abroad. Before any invoice exists.Before the invoice.
02
Clean registration
The SVG company incorporated properly, with an agent and records that survive scrutiny.Survives scrutiny.
03
The real licence
The FSA fund file in Kingstown, the ECSRC file for Basseterre, or authorisation where your clients are. The regulated part in a regulated place.FSA, ECSRC or abroad.
04
Rescue and migration
Existing paper structures read, explained and rebuilt around a licence that exists.Paper rebuilt properly.
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 St Vincent.
Entity costs and, for a fund manager, FSA licence fees. Forex has no licence to price.
Formation and annual fees
US$125 to register a BC and US$100 a year in FSA fees, plus the registered agent and annual filings. The real, modest cost of an SVG entity.US$125 + US$100 a year.
Fund licence fees
A manager or administrator pays the application, licence and annual fees in the FSA's mutual funds schedule. Any 'licence fee' quoted for forex is a service fee.FSA schedule.
Planning sits above
Where the licensed activity sits elsewhere, tax planning happens at group and owner level. Where the substance is.Group and owner.
XCD pegged at 2.70
The East Caribbean dollar is pegged to the US dollar. Currency risk is not part of the equation.2.70 to the dollar.
Thin treaty map
Route cross-border flows through jurisdictions with networks. Deliberately, at design.Route deliberately.
Substance where it matters
The licensed entity carries the substance; the SVG company carries what a company legitimately carries.Where the licence is.
Cost summary
Entity costsUS$125 + US$100 a year
Fund licence feesFSA mutual funds schedule
Planning levelGroup + owner
CurrencyXCD pegged 2.70 : US$1
TreatiesThin - route deliberately
*Position as of November 2026 per the FSA's fee schedules and its notice of 2 February 2026. Group and 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: SVG 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 Vincent · the real route
Build the structure that actually works.
We file the FSA fund licence in Kingstown where it fits, take securities business to the ECSRC and license a global book where its clients are - 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 Vincent: quick answers.
Is there an investment license in St Vincent?+
Yes, for fund business: the FSA licenses mutual fund managers and administrators under s. 22 of the Mutual Funds Act, Cap. 154. Dealing in or advising on securities needs an ECSRC licence. Forex brokerage gets no licence at all: the FSA issues none and expects such firms to be licensed where their clients are located.
Providers advertise an 'SVG investment license' for brokers - what is it?+
In nearly every case, the incorporation of a business company plus a certificate that no regulator issued. A real FSA licence appears on the FSA's mutual funds list and a real ECSRC licence on the ECSRC register. Ask for the entry and watch what happens.
What does the Mutual Funds Act require of a fund manager?+
A licence under s. 22, applied for to the FSA with a statement of financial and human resources. The FSA grants it once satisfied that the applicant is fit and proper, has adequate knowledge, expertise, resources and facilities, and has appointed an auditor (s. 24). Public funds are registered with the FSA; private and accredited funds are recognised.
Can I still use an SVG company?+
Yes - as an operating or holding layer inside a group whose regulated activity is licensed, or as the vehicle for an FSA fund licence. A BC may not carry on licensable business such as mutual funds until the FSA grants the licence. We build it and we call it what it is.
I already bought an 'SVG licence'. What now?+
Bring the documents. We will read them, tell you exactly what you own, and rebuild the structure around a licence that exists - most of our St Vincent work starts precisely here.
Where should the licence actually be?+
Where your investors are: the ECSRC for securities clients in the Eastern Caribbean, CySEC or a Baltic regulator for EU mandates, the DFSA for the Gulf, the FSA in Seychelles for global books, and the FSA in Kingstown for a fund manager or administrator. Client geography answers the question.
Why do banks refuse these structures?+
Because compliance teams check public registers. A certificate that does not appear on one fails the first look-up, and the cost is not the fee, it is the year spent discovering it.
Is St Vincent blacklisted or dangerous?+
No - it is a functioning jurisdiction with a real registry and a regulator that supervises what it supervises. The problem is not the country; it is the product being sold in its name.
How much does a clean structure cost?+
The SVG company costs US$125 to register and US$100 a year in FSA fees, plus the registered agent. A licence costs what its jurisdiction charges - from US$1,000 in the BVI to six figures in the EU, or EC$1,000 to apply and EC$2,000 a year at the ECSRC for a broker-dealer. We price both openly at the first call.
Is there a forex license in St Vincent?+
No. The FSA's notice of 2 February 2026 says it issues no licences for forex trading or brokerage and does not regulate or license BCs or LLCs in that business; they must be licensed where their clients are located, and a BC or LLC is a registration only. Whether a CFD or rolling FX product needs an ECSRC broker-dealer licence is settled with the ECSRC product by product. The St Vincent forex page explains what the registration gives and what it does not.
Why does Prifinance publish this?+
Because the alternative is selling paper. We would rather build one structure that survives diligence than three that do not, and clients who have been sold a certificate tend to come back with the real mandate.
Licence here?+
Yes, for fund managers.
What's sold then?+
For brokers, company plus paper.
Mutual Funds Act?+
Licence under s. 22.
Use the company?+
Yes - as a layer.
Already bought one?+
Bring it; we rebuild.
Where to license?+
Where investors are.
Why banks refuse?+
Registers are checked.
Blacklisted?+
No - the product is.
Cost?+
Priced openly, both parts.
Why publish this?+
Beats selling paper.
Is there a forex license in St Vincent?+
No. The FSA's notice of 2 February 2026 says it issues no licences for forex trading or brokerage and does not regulate or license BCs or LLCs in that business; they must be licensed where their clients are located, and a BC or LLC is a registration only. Whether a CFD or rolling FX product needs an ECSRC broker-dealer licence is settled with the ECSRC product by product. The St Vincent forex page explains what the registration gives and what it does not.
Client notes
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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 SVG FSA or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.