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Europe · CY

Cyprus

A well-established jurisdiction for brokers and investment firms, with EU authorisation routes for payments, e-money and crypto-asset services.

At a glance

Status
EU member state
Region
Europe
Regulated sectors
GamingPaymentsCryptoInvestment
Authorities
CySEC · Central Bank of Cyprus · National Betting Authority
Licensing routes
4
See also
EU / MiCA

Overview

The framework

Cyprus hosts a large community of investment firms authorised by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, many of them serving clients across the EEA through passporting. CySEC is also the competent authority for crypto-asset service providers under MiCA.

Payment and e-money institutions are authorised by the Central Bank of Cyprus. Betting is regulated by the National Betting Authority; other forms of online casino gaming are not licensable in Cyprus.

Authorities

Who regulates what

Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC)
Investment firms, fund managers and crypto-asset service providers.
Central Bank of Cyprus
Payment and e-money institutions.
National Betting Authority
Land-based and online betting.

Regimes

Licensing routes

  • Cyprus Investment Firm (CIF)

    MiFID II authorisation for brokerage, dealing and portfolio management.

    Sectors: Investment

  • MiCA CASP authorisation

    Crypto-asset services authorised by CySEC.

    Sectors: Crypto

  • Payment / e-money institution

    Authorisation by the Central Bank of Cyprus.

    Sectors: Payments

  • Online betting licence

    For online betting services; casino games are not licensable.

    Sectors: Gaming

Applications and regulator engagement for these routes are handled by our Regulatory & Licensing practice.

Considerations

What to weigh up

  • Retail CFD offerings are subject to EU product intervention measures.
  • Supervisory focus on conduct, marketing and client categorisation.
  • A deep local ecosystem of compliance, audit and fund administration providers.

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.

Insights

Related analysis

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