Editorial · SKY7 Insights
Licensing guides, regulatory updates and field notes from the seniors who file. Written for founders deciding which licence, which jurisdiction, and what to expect before a regulator opens the file.
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There is no standalone ADGM crypto licence: a virtual asset business pays for its underlying Regulated Activities plus the FSRA's virtual asset add-on under FEES 3.17 - US$20,000 to apply and US$15,000 a year, or US$125,000 and US$60,000 where the firm operates an MTF. Here is the full official cost stack, capital included - and the trade-press licence category that does not exist.
The Isle of Man's Gambling Supervision Commission has accepted cryptocurrency deposits for years - inside the standard OGRA licence, under an AML overlay that does the real work. Here is how the practice operates, and where VASP registration begins.
The FSCA does not approve the sale of an FSP's shares - section 158 of the FSR Act never reaches FAIS licensees. What it approves is people: the incoming key individual, before that person may manage or oversee anything. The approvals, the notifications and the deal-killers, end to end.
Poland's MIP is a KNF registration for payment activity conducted only in Poland and within a rolling transaction limit. A KIP is a separate authorisation route for a broader, scalable operating model.
Taxes, timelines, banking access and reputation for the Isle of Man, Malta, Curaçao and Anjouan in 2026 - an honest comparison, including why the slowest and most expensive route is often the right one.
In a regulated-entity sale, completion depends on a regulator decision neither party controls. Escrow bridges that gap - here is the standard sequence, the release triggers that hold up, and the one seller demand that should stop a deal.
The Isle of Man government has stated a limited appetite for iGaming businesses linked to East and Southeast Asia. What the posture means in practice for ownership structures - and which applicant profiles still clear the bar.
FINTRAC charges nothing to register a Canadian MSB, yet the launch still costs real money. We break down where the budget actually goes - and why two identical registrations can carry very different budgets.
A record £3.9m GSC penalty, a head licensee's UK exit and a surrendered licence, all inside a year. The Isle of Man is trading volume for reputation ahead of MONEYVAL 2026 - and the bar for a passable applicant has moved.
VARA's Initial Approval permits you to establish and prepare in Dubai - it is not permission to serve clients. How the two-stage process works, the substance VARA expects, and why we scope UAE timelines at kick-off.
The UAE has no single financial licence. VARA covers Dubai outside the DIFC, the DFSA covers the DIFC, the FSRA covers ADGM, the SCA holds the federal layer and the Central Bank holds mainland banking and payments. Here is the corridor-accurate map - and a decision tree that starts from your business model, not from marketing.
A bill consolidating OGRA 2001 and the Casino Act 1986 reached Tynwald in October 2025, with enactment expected in 2026. What the reform changes for operators and controllers - and what applicants should do before and after it lands.
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