Regulatory changes we're tracking and practical guides from the team that prepares the applications.
Investment licensingUpdated
The complete 2026 guide to starting a forex broker — business model, jurisdiction comparison across every tier, company structure, technology stack, AML/CFT, realistic cost breakdown, and timelines from SVG to CySEC.
Investment licensing
CMA Category 1 (full brokerage, AED 10M) vs CMA Category 5 (introduction, 3–6 months) vs DFSA Category 3A (USD 500K, 12–14 months) vs DFSA Category 4 (USD 30,000, 4–6 months). The four UAE licence pathways for CFD and FX firms explained.
Investment licensingUpdated
A Category 5 licence from the UAE's CMA lets you market only to professional investors, and the thresholds are specific: AED 35 million for trustees, AED 25 million for joint ventures, AED 15 million for family offices. Marketing outside those limits is where enforcement lands.
Investment licensing
IC Markets, Admirals, ATFX, Fusion Markets, XM, FXTM all hold FSA Seychelles licenses. Why the license works for offshore forex and CFD brokers targeting non-EU markets, and how the 2024–2025 regulatory reforms changed the picture.
Investment licensing
Exness, FXTM, FP Markets, IC Markets, Tickmill, FxPro and ATFX all hold FSCA FSP licenses. Why the South Africa FSP is Africa's most credible financial services authorization, what the 2024–2025 reforms changed, and how to acquire an existing licensed entity.
Investment licensing
Alvexo, FIBO Markets, and Royal Forex surrendered CySEC licenses. SVG banned forex. Mauritius and Seychelles application volumes are up. The full 2026 picture of forex brokerage licensing — who is leaving EU regulation, where they are going, and the multi-license strategy serious operators are using.
Investment licensing
5,485 companies at AIFC including Binance, Bybit, KPMG, EY. xChief received AFSA license AFSA-A-LA-2025-0012. Pavel Durov opened Telegram's first regional office in Astana. AFSA Capital Market, Digital Assets, and Crowdfunding frameworks amended effective January 2026. Full 2026 analysis.
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