National Supervisory Authority & Licensing Qualification Dossier • Offshore Financial Centre
Labuan
MalaysiaLabuan Financial Services Authority
Source / Native Reference: 马来西亚纳闽金融服务管理局
- Supervisory tier
- Offshore
- License classes
- 2
- Licensed records
- 26
- Active / regulated
- 25
Statutory Supervisory Mandate & Scope
Labuan Financial Services Authority (Labuan FSA) (LFSA) is the statutory financial regulatory and licensing authority in Malaysia (Labuan IBFC). It oversees international investment dealers, securities brokers, collective investment schemes, and cross-border financial service providers under Malaysia (Labuan IBFC)'s offshore financial centre framework, enforcing corporate governance, minimum paid-up capital, and Anti-Money Laundering / Counter-Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance.
Supervises Securities Investment Business licensees, Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), mutual and private investment funds, captive insurers, and international brokerage entities.
Prudential Tier Assessment
OffshoreRecognised international offshore financial centre supervisor regulating global hedge funds, institutional prime vehicles, digital asset exchanges, and cross-border securities dealers.
National licensing qualifications & statutory authorisation classes (Labuan)
Authorisation categories, permitted institutional and retail activities, minimum initial capital adequacy, and ongoing prudential solvency rules enforced by Labuan in Malaysia.
| License class / code | Official designation | Permitted institutional & retail activities | Minimum initial / base capital | Ongoing prudential & solvency rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Service / Market Maker Securities Dealer | Securities Investment Business / Investment Dealer (Full Service Dealer Including Underwriting) | Acting as principal or market maker in securities, FX, CFDs, and commodities; executing client orders and managing portfolios. | USD $50,000 (Seychelles FSA SD / Vanuatu VFSC Class A–D statutory bond) to MUR 10,000,000 (~USD $220,000 Mauritius Full Service Dealer) or USD $300,000+ (Bahamas SCB / Cayman CIMA / Bermuda BMA). | Maintenance of unimpaired minimum net capital, local physical office and resident directors/MLRO, and Professional Indemnity Insurance. |
| VASP / Digital Asset Business (Class F / DARE) | Virtual Asset Service Provider & Digital Asset Exchange / Custodian Licence | Operating a virtual asset trading platform, digital asset derivatives exchange, custodial wallet service, or token issuance. | USD $100,000 to USD $1,000,000+ risk-based capital depending on custody volume and exchange turnover. | Cybersecurity penetration testing, cold/hot wallet segregation, independent custody audit, and quarterly regulatory filings. |
Investor compensation, client money segregation & digital-asset regime
Statutory counterparty protections, custody reconciliation mandates, and virtual-asset licensing status under Labuan.
Contractual Custody & Segregated Trust Accounts (No Statutory Retail Compensation Fund)
- Maximum coverage per client
- EUR €0 / USD $0 statutory government compensation scheme (protection relies on segregated client trust accounts, minimum paid-up capital/bonds, and Professional Indemnity Insurance)
- Eligible counterparties & scope
- Global cross-border retail and institutional clients onboarded outside restricted onshore jurisdictions (US, UK, Japan, Canada typically excluded by terms of business).
CIMA Statement of Guidance on Client Assets / Mauritius Securities Rules / Seychelles Securities (Conduct of Business) Regulations
- Reconciliation & audit cadence
- Mandatory separation of client funds from proprietary operating accounts; periodic reconciliation audited annually.
- Approved custodian requirements
- Client moneys must be held in designated client trust accounts at approved domestic or international commercial banks.
Cayman VASP Act, Bermuda DABA Class F/M & Bahamas DARE Act 2024
- Travel Rule, custody & stablecoin rules
- Full FATF Recommendation 15 & 16 AML/CFT and Travel Rule compliance supervised via annual AML audits.
Primary Governing Statutes & Rulebooks
- Cayman Islands Securities Investment Business Act (SIBA) & Virtual Asset (Service Providers) Act (VASP Act)
- Bermuda Digital Asset Business Act 2018 (DABA) & Investment Business Act 2003
- BVI Securities and Investment Business Act (SIBA) & Bahamas DARE Act 2024
- Mauritius Financial Services Act 2007, Seychelles Securities Act 2007 & Vanuatu Financial Dealers Licensing Act [Cap 70]
Regulatory Reporting & Audit Obligations
Annual audited financial statements prepared under IFRS/US GAAP and submitted within 3 to 6 months of financial year-endMandatory appointment of an approved Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer (AMLCO) and Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO)Annual AML/CFT Independent Audit and Economic Substance (ES) annual filing
Cross-Border Equivalence & Passporting
Offshore licences permit international cross-border onboarding where lawful under reverse solicitation, but do not grant automatic onshore passporting into the US, UK, EU, or Japan.
Supervised institutions & Labuan licence records in our database
26 licence records referencing Labuan (25 regulated/registered, 1 flagged with warnings/revocations).
| Institution | Licence number | Status | Licensed legal entity | Effective date | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIMS | MB/17/0017 | Regulated | Auric International Markets Limited | — | |
| Bank of Singapore | Number pending check | Regulated | BANK OF SINGAPORE LIMITED | — | |
| Deriv(Global network record) | MB/18/0024 | Regulated | Deriv (FX) Ltd. | — | |
| ICM(Global network record) | MB/18/0029 | Regulated | ICM Capital (Labuan) Limited (formerly known as ICM Trader Limited) | — | |
| Tradeview(Global network record) | MB/19/0037 | Regulated | TVM Global Limited | — | |
| VDX(Global network record) | MB/20/0051 | Regulated | VDX Capital Ltd | — | |
| AUGS(Global network record) | MB/21/0060 | Regulated | AUGS MARKETS LIMITED | — | |
| Hirose Financial(Global network record) | MB/15/0006 | Regulated | Hirose Financial MY Limited | — | |
| LIRUNEX(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | Lirunex Limited | — | |
| MARKET(Global network record) | MB/21/0083 | Suspected clone | Market Equity Limited | — | |
| WeTrade(Global network record) | MB/22/0100 | Regulated | WeTrade Capital Limited | — | |
| Antos Pinnacles(Global network record) | MB/20/0053 | Regulated | Antos Pinnacles Ltd | — | |
| Concord(Global network record) | MB/20/0047 | Regulated | Concord Markets Limited (formerly known as CDG Global (Labuan) Limited) | -- | |
| Exfor(Global network record) | MB/22 / 0099 | Regulated | Exfor Limited | — | |
| FTAG Capital Markets(Global network record) | MB/19/0043 | Regulated | FTAG Capital Markets Ltd (formerly known as GCOX Ltd) | — | |
| FXGate(Global network record) | MB/19/0031 | Regulated | FXgate Ltd | — | |
| IFC Markets(Global network record) | MB/20/0049 | Regulated | IFC Markets Ltd | — | |
| MAKASKY(Global network record) | MB/16/0012 | Regulated | Makasky Limited | -- | |
| Maxain(Global network record) | MB/23/2017 | Regulated | Maxain Limited | -- | |
| Ngel Partners(Global network record) | MB/20/0048 | Regulated | Ngel Partners Pte. Ltd. | — | |
| Pacific(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | PACIFIC INDEX INTERNATIONAL LTD_ | — | |
| River Prime(Global network record) | MB/19/0039 | Regulated | River Prime Ltd | — | |
| Strategy Station Ltd(Global network record) | MB/18/0026 | Regulated | Strategy Station Ltd. | — | |
| uTrada(Global network record) | MB/19/0042 | Regulated | uTrada Limited | -- | |
| UW Global(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | UW Global | — | |
| Ventura(Global network record) | MB/20/0046 | Regulated | Ventura Prime FX Limited | — |
Labuan (Malaysia): institutional licensing & due diligence FAQ
Key statutory capital, compensation, custody segregation, and verification answers for compliance teams.
What are the primary licensing classes and minimum capital requirements under Labuan (Malaysia)?
Labuan (Labuan Financial Services Authority) supervises financial institutions in Malaysia under Cayman Islands Securities Investment Business Act (SIBA) & Virtual Asset (Service Providers) Act (VASP Act) and Bermuda Digital Asset Business Act 2018 (DABA) & Investment Business Act 2003. Key statutory authorisation classes include: Full Service / Market Maker Securities Dealer (Securities Investment Business / Investment Dealer (Full Service Dealer Including Underwriting) — min. capital: USD $50,000 (Seychelles FSA SD / Vanuatu VFSC Class A–D statutory bond) to MUR 10,000,000 (~USD $220,000 Mauritius Full Service Dealer) or USD $300,000+ (Bahamas SCB / Cayman CIMA / Bermuda BMA).); VASP / Digital Asset Business (Class F / DARE) (Virtual Asset Service Provider & Digital Asset Exchange / Custodian Licence — min. capital: USD $100,000 to USD $1,000,000+ risk-based capital depending on custody volume and exchange turnover.). Ongoing prudential supervision requires strict adherence to capital adequacy and liquidity buffers.
Does Labuan provide statutory investor compensation and mandatory client asset segregation?
Under Labuan's framework, investor protection is governed by Contractual Custody & Segregated Trust Accounts (No Statutory Retail Compensation Fund) with maximum coverage of EUR €0 / USD $0 statutory government compensation scheme (protection relies on segregated client trust accounts, minimum paid-up capital/bonds, and Professional Indemnity Insurance) (Global cross-border retail and institutional clients onboarded outside restricted onshore jurisdictions (US, UK, Japan, Canada typically excluded by terms of business).). For client money and custody assets, supervised firms must comply with CIMA Statement of Guidance on Client Assets / Mauritius Securities Rules / Seychelles Securities (Conduct of Business) Regulations, performing mandatory separation of client funds from proprietary operating accounts; periodic reconciliation audited annually. with client moneys must be held in designated client trust accounts at approved domestic or international commercial banks..
How does Labuan regulate digital assets, crypto exchanges (VASPs/CASPs), and stablecoins?
Labuan's digital-asset regime is structured around Cayman VASP Act, Bermuda DABA Class F/M & Bahamas DARE Act 2024 (Dedicated statutory digital asset licensing regimes used by top global institutional crypto derivatives exchanges, custodians, and tokenized funds.). Custody and AML/CFT compliance obligations require: Full FATF Recommendation 15 & 16 AML/CFT and Travel Rule compliance supervised via annual AML audits.
How can I verify an institution's Labuan licence number and check our 26 recorded licence entries?
Our database currently tracks 26 licence records referencing Labuan (25 marked regulated or registered). To verify a counterparty at the primary source, open Labuan's official public register (https://www.labuanfsa.gov.my/), search by the exact reference number and legal entity name, and confirm that the firm's domain and permitted activities match its statutory authorisation.
Related regulatory & market structure briefings
Research and compliance analysis from ETFYield Lab relevant to Labuan and Malaysia.
ETF Structure & Yield Engineering
Institutional ETF Creation-Redemption Arbitrage, SEC Rule 6c-11 Custom Baskets, and Cross-Border UCITS Withholding Tax Yield Architecture (2026)
An empirical quantitative analysis of Authorised Participant (AP) primary-market arbitrage bands, SEC Rule 6c-11 and IRC Section 852(b)(6) in-kind capital gains shielding, fixed-income ETF NAV-to-market basis dynamics, and Irish ICAV 15% vs 30% US dividend withholding tax alpha.
Fixed Income ETFs & Market Microstructure
SEC Rule 6c-11 Custom Creation Baskets, Fixed-Income ETF NAV Arbitrage & After-Tax Yield Drag Model (2026)
Authorized Participant (AP) custom creation and redemption baskets under SEC Rule 6c-11 refer to non-pro-rata fixed-income portfolio transfers that allow ETF issuers to purge low-basis, illiquid, or off-the-run bonds in-kind without realizing distributable capital gains, compressing annualized after-tax yield drag by 42 to 118 basis points compared with open-end mutual funds.
Treasury Ladders & Yield Math
SGOV vs BIL vs TLT: 30-Day SEC Yield vs Distribution Yield Math & ETF Fee Drag Analysis (2026)
30-Day SEC Yield refers to a standardized net annualized yield metric mandated by the SEC that deducts fund expense ratios from 30-day portfolio income.
Treasury Ladders & Yield Math
iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) Yield & Fee Benchmark: 30-Day SEC Yield vs. Trailing 12-Month Distribution Yield Audit (4.31% 30-Day SEC Yield (3 bps ER) Benchmark)
iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) Yield & Fee Benchmark (SGOV-0-3M-UST) stands at 4.31% (30-Day SEC Yield (3 bps ER)) (Source: SEC Form N-1A / U.S. Treasury, 2026-10-20), governing Form N-1A Item 26 accrual acco
Statutory licensing classes, base capital rules, and investor protection summaries for Labuan (Malaysia) are maintained for institutional benchmarking and do not constitute legal advice. Always verify current rulebooks and active firm authorisations directly on Labuan’s official public register.