Crypto License in Anjouan

Service Snapshot

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?

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 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.

EU requirements follow MiCA Article 59 and Article 67. FINTRAC expressly distinguishes registration from licensing.