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 Vincent.
There is no investment firm licence in St Vincent and the Grenadines - the FSA does not issue one, and its published position is that a firm must be licensed where its clients are located. A Mutual Funds Act sits on the statute book for fund vehicles. Everything else sold as an 'SVG investment licence' is a company registration with a certificate attached.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
St Vincent in brief
A registration is not a licence, and everyone knows it.
St Vincent and the Grenadines does not license investment firms. The Financial Services Authority supervises domestic banking, insurance, credit unions and registered agents; it does not issue a securities-dealer, portfolio-management or investment-advisory licence to firms serving international clients, and it has said publicly for years that such firms must hold authorisation in the jurisdictions where their clients are located. A Mutual Funds Act sits on the statute book for fund vehicles - its categories and current administration are worth confirming with the Authority before any structure relies on them. What is sold online as an 'SVG investment licence' is, in nearly every case, the incorporation of a business company plus a certificate that no regulator issued.
That does not make the jurisdiction useless - it makes it a component rather than a destination. An SVG company is fast, cheap and clean as an operating or holding layer inside a group whose regulated activity is licensed elsewhere: the manager licensed in a real regime, the vehicle domiciled where fund law is deep, and the SVG entity doing what a company legitimately does. We build that architecture, we register the SVG company properly, and we tell you, before you spend anything, that the licence you were quoted does not exist. If you already hold a certificate someone sold you, bring it: we will read it and tell you exactly what you own.
There is no investment firm licence in St Vincent: the FSA does not issue one, and says publicly that firms must be licensed where their clients are. A Mutual Funds Act covers fund vehicles - confirm its current administration before relying on it.
An SVG company is a fine operating or holding layer inside a licensed group. We register it as what it is and build the licence where it belongs - or read the certificate you already bought.
What we actually build
Registration here - the licence where it belongs.
Two concrete deliverables: a properly registered SVG entity, and real authorisation in the jurisdiction that governs your clients. Nothing pretends to be the other.
Registration here. The real licence where your clients are.
01 - SVG REGISTRATION
Registration, done cleanly
A business company or LLC incorporated properly, with a registered agent, correct records and accurate documentation. A legitimate corporate layer, described as exactly that.
A business company or LLC incorporated properly, with a registered agent, correct records and accurate documentation. A legitimate corporate layer, described as exactly that.
- ✓BC or LLC incorporation
- ✓Registered agent engaged
- ✓Records and filings correct
- ✓No 'licence' claimed anywhere
- ✓Days to formation
- ✓Group layer, priced to scale
02 - THE REAL LICENCE
The licence, where it belongs
Investment authorisation built where your clients are. Cyprus or Estonia for EU mandates, the BVI or Cayman for funds, the DIFC for the Gulf. The regulated activity sits in a regulated place.
Authorisation built where investors live. CySEC or Baltic for the EU, BVI or Cayman for funds, DFSA for the Gulf, Seychelles for global books.
- ✓EU mandates - CySEC / Baltic
- ✓Funds - BVI, Cayman, Bahamas
- ✓Gulf - DFSA in the DIFC
- ✓Global books - FSA Seychelles
- ✓Migration from paper structures
- ✓One group, one coherent map
The SVG FSA's published position is that firms must be licensed where their clients are located. Any document describing an SVG 'investment licence' should be read against that.
Why read this page
Six things worth knowing before you buy.
✓
No regulator issues it
The FSA does not license investment firms. A certificate claiming otherwise was not issued by a regulator. Check the register, not the PDF.Check the register.
✓
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.
✓
The company is still useful
As an operating or holding layer inside a licensed group, an SVG entity is fine. Described accurately, priced to scale.As a layer, exactly that.
✓
The fund statute is separate
A Mutual Funds Act exists for vehicles. It is not an investment-firm licence, and current administration should be confirmed before you rely on it.Statute, not firm licence.
✓
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 differs from licensed routes.
The comparison that matters: a registration against actual authorisations. Priced, timed and supervised differently.
St Vincent vs licensed jurisdictions
| Feature |  St Vincent | Licensed jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Instrument | Company registration | Supervised licence |
| Regulator | None for investment firms | CySEC, CIMA, FSC, DFSA |
| Bank acceptance | Registration only | Licence on the register |
| Right use | Group layer | The regulated business |
Instrument
St VincentCompany registration
Licensed jurisdictionsSupervised licence
Regulator
St VincentNone for investment firms
Licensed jurisdictionsCySEC, CIMA, FSC, DFSA
Bank acceptance
St VincentRegistration only
Licensed jurisdictionsLicence on the register
Right use
St VincentGroup layer
Licensed jurisdictionsThe regulated business
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Vincent | Registration only | Entity fees | No investment licence exists |
 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 |
 Cyprus | CIF - CySEC | 12.5% · 15% large | IFD tiers, EU passport |
St VincentLicense typeRegistration only
TaxationEntity fees
RequirementsNo investment licence exists
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
CyprusLicense typeCIF - CySEC
Taxation12.5% · 15% large
RequirementsIFD tiers, EU passport
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. The answers, or the silence, will tell you everything.
01
Which statute creates this licence. Name the Act and the section.
02
Which regulator issues it, and on which public register does it appear?
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 SVG FSA say publicly about firms serving overseas clients?
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.
How it works
From first call to a structure that stands.
01
The working map
Where your investors are, what that requires, and what St Vincent can and cannot contribute.What you need.
02
The licence decision
The regulated jurisdiction chosen on client geography. Cost second, coverage first.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
Investment licenceDoes not exist
FSA positionPublic - for years
RequirementLicence where clients are
Fund statuteMutual Funds Act Cap 154
VehicleBC or LLC
FormationDays
Right useLayer in a licensed group
Confirm any fund-regime route directly with the Authority before a structure depends on it. Statute and current practice are not always the same thing.
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. 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
Authorisation built in the jurisdiction that governs your clients. The regulated part in a regulated place.Where clients are.
04
Rescue and migration
Existing paper structures read, explained and rebuilt around a licence that exists.Paper rebuilt properly.
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 Vincent.
Entity costs, not licence economics, because there is no licence to price.
Formation and annual fees
Incorporation, registered agent and annual filings. The real, modest cost of an SVG entity.Modest and real.
No licence fees
There are none, because no investment licence is issued. Any 'licence fee' quoted to you is a service fee.Nothing to license.
Planning sits above
With no licensed activity here, 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 costsFormation + annual fees
Licence feesNone - no licence exists
Planning levelGroup + owner
CurrencyXCD pegged 2.70 : US$1
TreatiesThin - route deliberately
*Position as of 2026. Confirm the FSA's current statements and any fund-regime route directly before relying on either.
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 register in St Vincent where it helps 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 Vincent, answered plainly.
Is there an investment licence in St Vincent?+
No. The FSA does not issue an investment firm, securities dealer or portfolio management licence, and its published position is that firms must be licensed in the jurisdictions where their clients are located.
But providers advertise one - what are they selling?+
In nearly every case, the incorporation of a business company plus a certificate that no regulator issued. The company is real; the licence is not. Ask for the public register entry and watch what happens.
What about the Mutual Funds Act?+
A Mutual Funds Act exists on the statute book for fund vehicles. It is a fund regime, not an investment-firm licence, and its current administration should be confirmed with the Authority before any structure depends on it.
Can I still use an SVG company?+
Yes - as an operating or holding layer inside a group whose regulated activity is licensed elsewhere. That is a legitimate, common and accurately describable use. 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: CySEC or a Baltic regulator for EU mandates, the BVI or Cayman for funds, the DFSA for the Gulf, the FSA in Seychelles for global books. 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 what a company costs. The licence costs what that jurisdiction charges - from US$1,000 in the BVI to six figures in the EU. We price both openly at the first call.
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?+
No - none issued.
What's sold then?+
A company plus paper.
Mutual Funds Act?+
Vehicles, not firms.
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.
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
“I had their assistance in company registration and I would recommend them. They were answering all my clarification during the process and offering all their supportThank you Daniel and Irinia”
Google
“We found PRIFINANCE COMPANYvia the Internet and asked for help in organizing the opening of their company in Estonia. PRIFINANCE COMPANY specialists helped us a lot with this. Their professional, competent approach and knowledge of their business left us with only the best impressions.”
Google
“I'm thrilled with my experience with PriFinance! They helped me obtain a crypto license in Estonia without any hassle. The team was super understanding and always available to answer my questions and assist. It was great to see how they put effort into preparing the documents to ensure everything went smoothly. I'm delighted with the outcome and highly recommend PriFinance to anyone looking to get a license…”
Google
“Opening an account with Prifinance in a Swiss bank was such an easy and quick process that I was shocked. It all started with the first call, where I received detailed guidance on the required documents and the entire procedure.One of the key highlights was their attention to detail. As someone who usually gets tangled up in paperwork, I was pleasantly surprised when they sent me all the documents and…”
Google
“I recently had the pleasure of working with Boris.. and I must say, it was a fantastic experience. Boris went above and beyond to assist me with my residency needs. His professionalism, knowledge, and dedication truly stood out. I highly recommend working with Boris and the team!”
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 SVG FSA or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.