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Crypto License in Anjouan
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Gofaizen & Sherle helps online crypto operators assess the Anjouan route, prepare company and application documents, and develop AML/KYC policies. Start with your activities, customer countries and payment flows to establish whether the proposed structure meets your needs.
Service Snapshot
| Item | Position |
| Proposed issuer | Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA) |
| Corporate vehicle | Anjouan International Business Company (IBC) |
| Gofaizen & Sherle setup packages | $12,000–$18,000, excluding the separate license fee |
| Renewal | Annual payment under the Gofaizen & Sherle offer |
| Preparation and review | Separate stages, no fixed completion promise |
| Local presence and capital | Corporate requirements and proposed license conditions need separate review |
Is This Route Suitable for Your Business?
Consider an assessment if you are comparing offshore jurisdictions for an international exchange, custody or liquidity business. Suitability depends on customer locations, control of assets, fiat flows and counterparty acceptance.
Choose another route if your project requires an EU passport or a permission whose issuing authority is recognised by the relevant national regulator. Non-custodial software and payment-related models need individual classification.
The Central Bank of the Comoros disputes AOFA’s authority to issue financial licenses. It states that virtual-asset activities and providers are not authorized on national territory and that corresponding cryptocurrency or VASP licenses have not been issued. The procedure below describes AOFA’s stated offering, not an independently established right to operate.
Which Permissions Does Your Project Need?
| Component | What It Establishes |
| IBC incorporation | Corporate existence, not permission for every proposed activity |
| AOFA application | A request for the issuer’s stated crypto scope, subject to the recognition dispute |
| Target-market authorization | Separate permissions required where customers are served |
Which Crypto Services Does AOFA Describe?
The website presenting AOFA’s crypto offering lists cryptocurrency trading, exchange operation, liquidity provision and storage. For crypto-to-fiat or crypto-to-crypto exchange and custody, the proposed document must identify the exact service.
Virtual asset transfers, payment processing, mining and token issuance require separate scope analysis. An application should not assume that every feature of a platform is covered. Gaming is a separate licensing category.
What Will Gofaizen & Sherle Handle?
G&S provides licensing and regulatory consulting, with work agreed around your operating model:
- Assess activities, target markets and the proposed permission.
- Coordinate incorporation and corporate documents.
- Prepare the application and ownership documentation.
- Draft or review AML/KYC policies under the selected package.
- Assist with corporate account applications where included.
Gofaizen & Sherle prepares and coordinates the work. Registered agents handle relevant local filings, the issuer decides applications, and financial institutions make their own onboarding decisions. Independent local legal advice may be needed to resolve the authority question.
What Do the Packages Cost?
Extended plus a nominee director for one year
Basic plus AML/KYC policy preparation or review and corporate account opening assistance
Dedicated consultant, company formation assistance, corporate documents, company name selection and application submission
A $27,000 license fee is payable separately under the offer and applies annually for renewal. This is the amount quoted by Gofaizen & Sherle, not an independently verified statutory tariff.
Business plans, continuity planning, technology and accounting are additional services. The engagement should identify agent costs, nominee renewals, banking expenses and other third-party charges included or excluded from your scope.
Who Supports Your Project?
mark.paat@gofaizen-sherle.com How Does the Application Process Work?
The sequence follows AOFA’s stated application procedure, with Gofaizen & Sherle support agreed at each stage:
What Information and Local Presence Are Required?
Provide:
- founder
- director and UBO identification
- ownership structure
- source-of-funds information
- a business plan
- customer countries
- projected volumes
- custody arrangements
- fiat/payment flows.
The published IBC Act 004 of 2005, sections 25–26, requires a registered office and licensed registered agent in Anjouan. The office may be the agent’s office. Section 31 specifies at least one director for a single-shareholder company and at least two for multiple shareholders.
These are provisions of the published corporate text, hosted on an AOFA-associated domain. They do not establish current license-specific substance requirements. A separate staffed office, director residency and share capital should be addressed in the project’s legal assessment.
How Long Does Preparation and Review Take?
Preparation depends on document completeness, ownership complexity and policy drafting. The registered agent’s processing and issuer’s review are separate external stages. Gofaizen & Sherle can scope preparation after reviewing your documents, but no fixed licensing or banking completion date is promised.
What Ongoing Compliance Should Be Planned?
AOFA’s published conditions address renewal payments, corporate changes and annual police-clearance documents. Non-payment is described as grounds for suspension or revocation.
Separately, plan customer and UBO checks, sanctions/PEP screening, transaction monitoring, record keeping, governance and suspicious-transaction escalation. Applicable reporting recipients, deadlines and audit requirements must follow the relevant law and accepted operating model. Policies alone do not resolve an authorization defect. The BCC notice warns of judicial action over claims to operate under unauthorized Comorian approvals.
Can Gofaizen & Sherle Assist With Banking?
Yes. Extended and Full packages include corporate account opening assistance. Prepare evidence of beneficial ownership, source of funds and wealth, customer geography, transaction volumes and compliance controls. Test whether prospective banks, EMIs and PSPs accept the proposed structure before committing to the full setup. Account approval remains their decision.
What Tax Treatment Should You Expect?
Do not budget on a blanket zero-tax assumption. The published corporate framework alone is insufficient to confirm your current tax position. Assess company tax residence, management location, income sources, substance and any controlled foreign company (CFC) rules affecting owners before selecting the structure.
How Do Alternative Routes Compare?
Compare the permission your business needs before comparing prices.
| Criterion | Anjouan Offering | EU MiCA | Canada MSB |
| Authority and status | Application to AOFA through an Anjouan IBC | Authorization by an EU competent authority | FINTRAC registration, not a license |
| Market access | Must be established independently | EU service provision within authorized scope | Canadian registration obligations, no EU passport |
| Capital and presence | Proposed conditions require verification | EU establishment and prudential requirements | Assess corporate setup and any additional regimes |
| Cost and timing | G&S prices above, external review separate | Depends on services and home state | Depends on activities and registration work |
EU requirements follow MiCA Article 59 and Article 67. FINTRAC expressly distinguishes registration from licensing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which activities can be included?
AOFA describes exchange, trading, liquidity and storage. Each proposed activity needs an explicit scope check.
What is the starting cost?
Basic setup plus the separately quoted license fee totals $39,000 before additional services or expenses.
How long does an application take?
There is no verified fixed review period. Document preparation and external assessment are separate stages.
What documents should I prepare?
Start with ownership and identity documents, a business plan, funding evidence and operating-model details.
Is renewal automatic?
No. Budget for the quoted annual license fee and maintenance, and satisfy the issuer’s applicable conditions.
Does the package include a bank account?
Extended and Full include application assistance, not an approved account.
Does the document allow EU market access?
It does not replace the applicable MiCA authorization requirements.
Is the company automatically tax-free?
No blanket exemption is confirmed here. Tax treatment needs a separate assessment.
Are AML/KYC policies enough to launch?
No. Written policies must be put into practice through customer identity checks, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring and procedures for escalating suspicious activity. Before launch, you must also establish which permissions your services require in each target market.
Can an existing foreign company apply directly?
Do not assume so. The stated procedure uses an Anjouan IBC. Gofaizen & Sherle assesses whether a new entity or another structure is appropriate.
Does a nominee director provide anonymity?
No. A nominee arrangement does not remove beneficial-owner disclosure for due diligence. Public-register visibility and confidential disclosure are different questions.
What should I check before paying for the application package and license fee?
Check the issuer, legal basis, exact activities, expiry, renewal conditions, fee recipient and target-market acceptance. A register entry alone is insufficient.
What if Anjouan does not fit?
Gofaizen & Sherle can assess another jurisdiction against your activities, customers and counterparties instead of treating incorporation as the solution.
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