Crypto Licensing & Regulatory Filings

Financial Services Licensing for Digital Asset Businesses

Withers provides expert legal services for obtaining and maintaining financial services licenses, regulatory registrations, and compliance filings for cryptocurrency exchanges, trading platforms, asset managers, and other digital asset businesses across multiple jurisdictions.

US Licensing & Registration

Money Services Business & Money Transmitter

• US FinCEN Money Services Business (MSB) registrations
• State-by-state Money Transmitter License (MTL) applications
• Ongoing registration renewals and compliance filings
• Regulatory correspondence and examinations

Securities & Commodities Registration

• SEC investment adviser registration for crypto asset managers
• CFTC registration for derivatives and futures platforms
• Broker-dealer applications for digital asset trading platforms
• Regulatory filings and ongoing reporting requirements

International Licensing

EU & UK Licensing

• EU Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) registration for crypto asset service providers
• UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) registration
• UK E-money Regulations 2011 compliance
• UK Payment Services Regulations 2017 licensing
• UK Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) compliance

Asia-Pacific Licensing

• Singapore Payment Services Act (PSA) license applications
• Singapore Capital Markets Services (CMS) license for fund managers
• Singapore MAS Sandbox applications for fintech innovation
• Hong Kong SFC regulatory framework compliance (Virtual Asset Portfolio Managers and Trading Platform Operators)

Fund Manager Licensing

• Assisting with distribution and licensing requirements across multiple jurisdictions
• Regulatory compliance for cryptocurrency hedge funds and venture funds
• Registration and licensing with SEC, CFTC, FCA, MAS, and other global regulators
• Ongoing regulatory filings and compliance monitoring

Regulatory Advocacy

• Correspondence with regulators and agencies worldwide
• Regulatory advocacy and defense before government agencies
• Navigating novel regulatory frameworks for innovative business models
• Strategic guidance on licensing strategy and jurisdictional choices

Withers regularly appears before and advises clients on interactions with the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), FinCEN, UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Monetary Authority of Singapore, and other global regulatory bodies.