Americas & Caribbean · CR
Costa Rica
Costa Rica has long been used as an operational base by international online businesses; financial activity is supervised by the national financial superintendencies.
At a glance
- Status
- Sovereign state
- Region
- Americas & Caribbean
- Authorities
- SUGEF · SUGEVAL
Overview
The framework
Costa Rica has long been used as an operational base by international online businesses, including service and support companies in the online gaming sector. Whether a particular activity requires authorisation in Costa Rica should be assessed against the law in force at the time.
Financial activity is supervised by national superintendencies under the National Council for Supervision of the Financial System (CONASSIF), including SUGEF for financial entities and SUGEVAL for securities markets.
Authorities
Who regulates what
- General Superintendency of Financial Entities (SUGEF)
- Supervision of financial entities.
- General Superintendency of Securities (SUGEVAL)
- Supervision of securities markets.
Considerations
What to weigh up
- An operating company in Costa Rica does not authorise gaming offered to players elsewhere.
- Plan banking for gaming-related companies early.
This overview is general information, summarised at a high level. Requirements change and depend on the specific activity; seek advice on your circumstances before acting.
Industries
Relevant industries
Across jurisdictions
Cross-jurisdiction capabilities
Services we support across the jurisdictions in our directory, described once on their own pages. How each is delivered depends on the local requirements that apply; where local qualification is required, we coordinate locally qualified counsel.
- Privacy & Data ProtectionPrivacy compliance and GDPR programmes, notices and DPAs, DPIAs, data mapping and ROPA, transfers, audits and breach response.
- AML & Financial Crime ComplianceAML/CFT programmes, MLRO-as-a-Service, independent AML/CFT audits, risk assessments, monitoring, sanctions and inspection support.
- IP Registration & ProtectionTrademark and patent registration and protection, copyright protection, domain name disputes, portfolio support and IP agreements.
- Legal OpinionsRegulatory, business model, perimeter, payment, gaming, crypto-asset and cross-border opinions for banks, partners and investors.
- Bank Account OpeningSupport with corporate and operational accounts at banks and EMIs, prepared for how their compliance teams assess high-risk businesses.
- Merchant Account / Acquiring SetupSupport with merchant account applications and acquiring setup at acquirers and PSPs, including for high-risk merchant categories.
Support
How we support businesses in Costa Rica
Discuss your matter with a senior advisor.
Share a few details about your business and plans. We will come back to arrange a confidential initial conversation.