Today, Mauritius is a high-end English-speaking hub for Mauritius forex brokerage licence and economic technology firms that work in service to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. It is no wonder that sound adjustment, predictable tax regime, and a pragmatic ecoservices approach have made it the jurisdiction of choice for most FX/CFD-brokers looking for substance at a manageable cost.
Forex License in Mauritius: An Summary
In Маutitius, what most market participants call a “forex license” is issued under the Investing Dealer regime, which is controlled by the Financial Services Commission(FSC) under the Securities Act. The FSC offers a range of categories for the subheading “investment dealer,” in which retail as well as professional FX/CFD corporation models may be hosted, based on different service mixes.
This simply means that retail and pro FX/CFD-brokers will do firm either under an Investment Dealer — full service, save underwriting, or Investment Dealer category, while discount and execution-only platforms refer to execution-only, and full-service to market-making or multi-asset acquisition favors.
Mauritius Forex License in 2025 authorization benefits
The business-friendly time zone and workforce. Call both Europe and Asia within the same day, receive bilingual English/French compliance and ops talent, and tap into a mature professional services community.
Traditional Licensing “Menu.” It logically places the type of permissions available in each sub-category of activity beneath the Investing Dealer framework—for example, execution, dealing as principal, advice, portfolio governance, and underwriting—thus bringing clarity on such important points at the time of structuring a product.
Well-established global-business platform. GBL is the Mauritian Global Business Licence regime that offers recognized corporate status, a broad treaty network, easy corporate governance, and judicial recourse.
Remaining needs of significance and action, however, if met, bring the effective rate down to about 3%. Beneath his transparent framework, professionals can work out models of the costs involved in taxation.
Realistic Timelines. Well-prepared files quite often get through within a span of 3 to 6 months, presuming that all queries from the controller are responded to quickly.
Types of Forex Licenses in Mauritius
The main possibilities a full-service firm amongst the broader Investment Dealer category is as follows:
- Investment Dealer (Full Service Dealer including Underwriting): The broadest scope in instrumental execution, dealing as principal, portfolio management, advisory, and underwriting/distribution of securities. Capitalization shall be the highest.
- Investment Dealer (Full Service Dealer excluding Underwriting): Very common among multi-asset FX/CFD brokerage licenses in Mauritius, with both dealing as principal and advisory/portfolio management but without underwriting.
- Investment Dealer (Broker): Execution of orders on behalf of clients; portfolio management or advice may be included but not dealing as principal. Common with STP/agency models.
- Investment Dealer (Discount Broker): Execution only (no advice). Fits pure DMA/execution models and certain fintechs.
Segment-specific add-ons (e.g., Currency Derivatives Segment) may also come into play in structures trading listed currency derivatives. The Mauritius for Forex Licensing you will actually need depends on what you propose to do in your business-plan and disclosures.
Adjustment of Forex License in the Mauritius
It is the supervisor of integrated non-bank monetary establishments. Its functions include permitting, supervision, and enforcing the law relating to investment dealers, advisers, funds, insurers, pension entities, and separately providers of virtual asset favors. The FSC will come up with criteria for licensing acquisition dealers of which it will perform onsite reviews on an ongoing basis; in areas like prudential returns, fitness and propriety, and AML/CFT.
Key Regulatory Anchors:
- Securities Act and FSC Licensing Criteria — Per Sub-Category.
- AML/CFT investigations, such as an MLRO/Deputy MLRO, risk-based supervision, and procedure for the recommendation of STR/SAR.
- Consumer Asset Segregation, governance, and the reporting done within the scope and terms of the permission.
Mauritius Forex Broker License Demands:
- Of course, each case will be assessed on its members; the FSC will apply a high level of substance and depth when substantiated by positive reasons.
- Model of finances. 3-year financials, capital plan, revenue drivers (spreads, commissions, swaps), stress scenarios, and contingency liquidity.
Share Funds Demands for a Forex Company in Mauritius
Minimum declared unimpaired funds (indicative FSC practice for 2024–2025):
- Full Service incl. Underwriting — MUR 10,000,000
- Full Service excl. Underwriting — MUR 1,000,000
- Broker — MUR 700,000
- Discount Broker — MUR 600,000
Higher buffers may be required depending on the enterprise model (e.g., market-making) and growth. Those amounts should be fully settled prior to the commencement of operational activities, with the FSC anticipating that the capital would be commensurate with the nature, scale, and complexity of risks of the firm. Higher buffers may be applied especially in market-making or rapid-growth cases.
Forex Licence Process in Mauritius
- 1) Structure and scoping (Weeks 1–3): Choose the target Investment Dealer sub-category and legal form, draft the business plan, and identify in-country managers/officers.
- 2) Incorporation & GBL (Weeks 2–6): Incorporate the Mauritian entity, appoint the board, open provisional account, and apply for a Global Business Licence (GBL) if the company will conduct business-company principally outside Mauritius
- 3) Documentation and Substance (weeks 3–8): Finalize compliance/AML manuals, governance charters, outsourcing contracts, platform agreements, and key functionaries (MLRO/Compliance/CEO).
- 4) FSC request (weeks 6–10): File the pack, pay request fees, interact with the FSC during Q&A—quality and speed of response are key.
- 5) Decision & Go-Live (Months 3–6+): In the final stages post each approval, still more of the completion of paid-up funds and bank interpretations, client agreements and disclosures in readiness testing occur before actual onboarding of the customers.
Typically, well-prepared requests are completed in an average time frame of between 3 to 6 months.
How to start a FX enterprise in Mauritius (step by step)
Practical Checklist
- Determine the business model: agency vs. principal, target geographies, retail vs. pro, leveraged products on the list, such as FX Majors/Minors, metals, indices, and CFDs.
- Choose the forex license Mauritius category with permission mapping on the actions. For example, full-service without guaranteeing is needed for principal dealing.
- Establish a Mauritian corporation and apply for GBL status in case there’s cross-border trade involved.
- Building the team would consist of two resident directors, MLRO and Deputy, Compliance Officer, risk managers, ops, etc.
- Prepare the basic policies—AML/CFT program, client asset handling, order execution/management, conflict of interest policies—none of it on outsourcing, IT, and cybersecurity policy.
- Pick the vendor for the trading platform, bridge/liquidity, KYC/AML, payment, auditors, legal, and operations admins.
- Called-up share capital: achieve the minimum for your class and, above all, sensibly exceed it.
- Submit to the FSC and manage follow-up questions promptly and completely. Typical total timeline 3–6 months.
Functions that any corporation can engage in with a Forex Broker License in Mauritius
May include the ensuing, issue o sub-category and other specific circumstances:
- These are examples of Client Order Intermediation and Execution in Securities and Derivatives (including FX/CFDs).
- Dealing as principal (market making) when authorized.
- Acquisition guidance whiсh is subsidiary to the core Brokerage (Forex) licenses in Mauritius.
- Authorization for portfolio management (i.e., separate tabs/MAM-PAMM structures).
- Underwriting/distribution (only in the sub-category “including underwriting”).
If expanding into any listed currency derivative segment or commodity derivatives in their operations, separate permission on each of these segments may be necessary; do state the same in your request.
Brokerage Firm Taxation in Mauritius
- Headline CIT: 15%.
- Partial exemption: 80% of certain specified foreign-source income is exempt subject to some substance and activity demands. In general, this exemption cannot be combined with foreign tax credits; you elect the regime that fits your income profile. This lies at the heart of the useful rate of GBL brokers around 3% on qualifying income.
The practical tax will be a function of where you believe your clients are located, the nature of your income (commission versus trading P&L versus interest), and, finally, whether substance tests are satisfied; hence, very specific and tailored advice will be needed when modeling your profitability. Recent case law also discussed the mechanics for the 80% exemption, underlining documentation.