Crypto Licensing — Worldwide
Get Your Crypto License in the Right Jurisdiction — First Time
We are a specialist legal firm helping crypto exchanges, fintech startups, custody providers and Web3 projects obtain regulated licenses in 15+ jurisdictions worldwide.
- 15+ Jurisdictions covered
- 200+ Successful licenses
- 8+ Years specialist focus
- 95% Application success rate
Who we work with
Specialist licensing for digital asset businesses
Three audiences, one bench of senior counsel. We rarely take on general fintech or e-money matters that do not involve crypto — depth beats breadth in a regime that changes every quarter.
Crypto Exchanges & Trading Platforms
VATP, MPI, MTL, AFSL and MiCA CASP licenses for centralized exchanges, OTC desks and trading venues. We pre-qualify your model against capital, custody and market-conduct rules before you spend a dollar on application fees.
Crypto Startups & Web3 Projects
Fastest-route licensing for early-stage teams: MVP-friendly jurisdictions, foundation structures and bridge regimes that let you launch in months — not years — without locking out future regulated markets.
DeFi, NFT & Token Issuers
Regulatory wrappers, foundation structures and token classification. We map which protocol roles trigger licensing under MiCA, FinCEN and SEC rules, and where they do not — so you can ship without inheriting an exchange-level burden.
Jurisdictions
License frameworks we cover
17 active jurisdictions across Europe, MENA, APAC, Americas and offshore. Click through for regulator details, capital requirements, timelines and the lead expert in each market.
VARA / FSRA (ADGM) / DMCC / DFSA (DIFC)
- Timeline: 9–14 months (VARA); 6–10 months (ADGM)
- Tax: 9% (free zone exemptions)
FinCEN + 50 state regulators + NYDFS + SEC
- Timeline: FinCEN: weeks; MTL: 6–18 months; BitLicense: 18–24 months
- Tax: 21% federal + state
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
- Timeline: 12–18 months (FCA)
- Tax: 25% corporate
Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
- Timeline: 9–12 months
- Tax: 17%
SFC + HKMA + Companies Registry (TCSP)
- Timeline: 12+ months (VATP)
- Tax: 8.25–16.5%
FINMA + SROs (e.g. VQF)
- Timeline: SRO: 2–3 months; Fintech: 6–9 months
- Tax: 12–21% (cantonal)
Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA)
- Timeline: 10–16 weeks
- Tax: 0%
BVI Financial Services Commission
- Timeline: 8–12 weeks
- Tax: 0%
No crypto-specific regulator (general law)
- Timeline: 1–3 weeks (incorporation)
- Tax: 0% on foreign-source income (territorial)
FINTRAC + AMF (Quebec)
- Timeline: 8–12 weeks
- Tax: 26.5–31% (federal + provincial)
CNAD
- Timeline: 4–8 weeks
- Tax: 30% (territorial nuances)
AUSTRAC + ASIC
- Timeline: DCE: 6–12 weeks; AFSL: 6–9 months
- Tax: 30% corporate
Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC)
- Timeline: 12–20 weeks
- Tax: 0–10%
Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC)
- Timeline: 16–24 weeks
- Tax: 12.5%
NBG / FIZ administrators
- Timeline: 4–6 weeks
- Tax: 0% reinvested / 15% distributed (FIZ)
Local regulator (evolving)
- Timeline: 8–12 weeks
- Tax: 9–15%
Local regulator (evolving)
- Timeline: 8–10 weeks
- Tax: 10%
License taxonomy
What kind of crypto license do you need?
Crypto regulation is fragmented across acronyms — VASP, CASP, VATP, VARA, MSB, MTL, EMI, DCE, DLT, TCSP. Each maps to a different activity and a different regulator. Match your model to the right one before you commit to a jurisdiction.
Virtual Asset Service Provider
BVI · Cayman · Georgia · Montenegro · Bosnia
Crypto-Asset Service Provider (MiCA)
EU member states under MiCAR
Virtual Asset Trading Platform
Hong Kong SFC
Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority
Dubai Cat 1–4
Money Services Business
USA FinCEN · Canada FINTRAC
Money Transmitter License
USA state-by-state (×50)
Electronic Money Institution
UK · EU · Singapore
Digital Currency Exchange
Australia AUSTRAC
Distributed Ledger Technology Provider
Gibraltar GFSC
Trust & Company Service Provider
Hong Kong CR
By business type
Services tailored to your model
Each service page covers the licensing path, capital requirements, banking partners and pitfalls specific to that business model — not a generic checklist.
Crypto Exchange
Spot, derivatives, OTC and prime brokerage venues.
Custody Provider
Qualified custodians, wallet operators, sub-custody.
DeFi Protocol
Wrappers, foundations, governance token classification.
Stablecoin Issuer
MiCA EMT/ART, Hong Kong stablecoin, NY trust.
AML / KYC Compliance
Programs, MLRO services, Travel Rule readiness.
Why work with us
What sets Crypto License Network apart
Specialist focus
We handle crypto licensing exclusively, not as a side practice. Every partner has shipped applications in their region within the last 90 days.
Multi-jurisdictional bench
15+ active jurisdictions with in-house counsel in five offices. We do not subcontract regulator-facing work to local boutiques you have never met.
Application success rate
We pre-qualify clients before applications, not after. If a regime is not realistic for your model, we say so on the first call — even when it costs us a fee.
Banking matters
A license without a bank account is a paperweight. We secure both, and we tell you up front when banking, not the regulator, is the bottleneck for your model.
Post-license support
We do not disappear after approval. Annual filings, MLR audits, regulator change-of-control approvals and AML program updates run on a retainer with a named partner.
Our 5-step process
From first call to ongoing license maintenance
Strategy
Jurisdiction shortlist, license type mapping, banking compatibility check.
Incorporation
Local entity, substance requirements, director and beneficial owner structuring.
Application
Business plan, AML manual, IT security, financial projections, capital deposit.
Approval
Regulator Q&A, supplementary submissions, on-site interviews where required.
Ongoing support
Annual returns, AML audits, MLRO function, change-of-control filings.
The team
Senior counsel, not a directory of contractors
Three anchor partners cover Europe, MENA & APAC, and the Americas & Offshore. Two senior specialists lead MiCA implementation and AML/KYC. Every engagement is partner-led from the first call.
Daniel R. Whitmore
Founder & Managing Partner
Founder of Crypto License Network. Dual-qualified Solicitor (E&W) and NY Attorney. LLM Financial Regulation, LSE.
Jurisdictions: UK · USA · Jersey · Gibraltar
Layla A. Hassan
Partner — Head of MENA & APAC
Founding partner. Lead authority on UAE virtual asset regulation (VARA, ADGM FSRA, DMCC) and APAC licensing.
Jurisdictions: UAE · Singapore · Hong Kong · Australia
Marcus T. Andersson
Partner — Head of Americas & Offshore
16 years of international tax structuring and offshore corporate experience. Admitted to BVI, Cayman and Sweden Bars.
Jurisdictions: Canada · El Salvador · Panama · BVI