Anjouan Forex and Crypto License: What It Means for Payments

• Issued in the name of the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA), usually described as an Anjouan Brokerage Licence or FX dealer licence.
• Fees reported by a Cyprus law firm in June 2026: a €1,500 application fee, an €18,000 licence fee and €18,000 a year to renew.
• Term: one year, renewed annually.
• Capital: brokers can register without a minimum authorised capital, according to trade press reporting from March 2026.
• Substance: few or no local requirements, which is part of why acquirers treat the licence with caution.

Licensing agents also market an Anjouan crypto or VASP licence issued in the name of the same authority, with no minimum capital and approval in a matter of weeks. The Union government does not recognise it, and trade press has reported fake virtual asset licences carrying the name of the Comoros Ministry of Finance, so acquirers and banks verify any crypto licence from the Comoros very carefully.

An Anjouan crypto licence also does not let you serve EU clients. MiCA's transition period ended across the EU on 1 July 2026, and since then crypto-asset service providers need MiCA authorisation to serve or market to clients in the EU.

Financial regulation in the Comoros is a matter for the Union government and its central bank, not for the individual islands. The Central Bank of the Comoros called the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority and similar island bodies fictitious in a 2022 communiqué, which the Comoros Ministry of Finance republished in December 2025. In October 2026 the government was reported to be seeking help from the UK against the Anjouan licensing network and to be preparing legal action.

The market is reacting. From February 2026, MetaQuotes stopped issuing new MetaTrader licences to brokers registered in the Comoros, while existing licence holders were not affected.

We do not take a position on the legal argument. For payments, what matters is that acquirers and banks know about the dispute and many will not treat an Anjouan licence as proof that your activity is regulated.

Card schemes expect forex, CFD and crypto merchants to be licensed for the services they offer and for the countries their clients are in, and acquirers must register these merchants with the schemes. A licence whose own legal basis is questioned makes that very hard to show, so most acquirers decline Anjouan-only brokers and crypto firms outright.

The few that consider them start with low limits, high reserves and a short list of permitted countries, and they look for evidence beyond the licence: who owns the firm, where it is really managed, where clients are and how client money is held.

• A licence from a recognised regulator for your core business, such as Mauritius, Seychelles or Cyprus for brokers, or MiCA authorisation for crypto services in the EU.
• Client markets limited to countries where you may lawfully serve clients, with geoblocking and onboarding checks that enforce it.
• Client money held with a bank, separated from the firm's own funds, with reconciliations you can show.
• A clear AML framework, a named compliance officer and identity checks before deposits.
• Honest processing history: statements, chargeback rates and any past account closures.

Acquipayer is not a payment provider. You describe your licences, company, client markets, volumes and processing history once, and your profile is matched with a payment provider whose policy fits your business, if one does. With an Anjouan licence alone the options are limited, and we will tell you so rather than send an application that is likely to be declined. Final approval and terms are always the provider's decision.

• Michael Chambers & Co. via Mondaq, Anjouan Brokerage Licence, 22 June 2026.
• Finance Magnates, MetaQuotes starts to block Comoros-regulated brokers, 4 March 2026, and opinion on the Comoros licences, 19 March 2026.
• Banque Centrale des Comores, communiqué on unauthorised financial licensing bodies (2022), republished by the Comoros Ministry of Finance, December 2025.
• Casino.org, citing The Guardian, on the Comoros government and the Anjouan licensing bodies, October 2026.
• ESMA statement on the end of MiCA transitional periods, 17 April 2026.