Your Labuan money broking licence, handled end to end.
Also called a forex or money broker licence, it lets you broker foreign exchange, money market and digital asset deals from a regulated Asian base. We prepare, file and carry your application through Labuan FSA, so you reach operating without the regulatory legwork.
Make an enquiryBroker foreign exchange and digital assets from a licensed Labuan base.
A money broking licence lets you arrange foreign exchange and money market deals between counterparties, and digital assets where you choose. You act as the intermediary, never as principal. In Labuan, what brokers often call a forex licence is this licence.
Get the file wrong and you lose months and tied-up capital to questions, resubmissions or a refusal. We scope your case against what Labuan FSA actually grants, prepare the documents the regulator expects, and answer its questions for you. You get a clean file and one team accountable for it.
Labuan gives you a recognised, English-speaking base in Asia, 100% foreign ownership, and a 3% tax rate on trading profits where you meet the substance rules.
Who a Labuan money broking licence is for.
It fits firms that arrange currency and money market deals, not those taking positions of their own.
Foreign exchange brokers
Forex and money market brokerages that arrange deals between counterparties and earn brokerage, rather than trading on their own book.
Brokers expanding into Asia
Regulated brokers from other jurisdictions wanting a recognised, English-speaking base in Asia with 100% foreign ownership.
Digital asset brokers
Firms adding digital asset broking under the digital path, with the higher capital and oversight that activity carries.
Your application runs through the recognised party.
Because we hold the Labuan FSA licence ourselves, your file goes to the regulator through the licensed firm directly, with one team accountable, not down a chain of intermediaries. We serve you in English, Chinese and Malay, end to end.
Make an enquiry2019
Labuan FSA licensed
LMT0081
Our Labuan licence
EN + ZH + MS
Language desks
Labuan IBFC
Headquartered
How a Labuan money broking licence is granted.
The standard route with Labuan FSA. Timing depends on the file, but the process usually runs several months.
Incorporate
We set up your Labuan company, the vehicle that holds the licence.
Build the case
We prepare the business plan, the AML and CFT framework, and the financial-resources case the regulator expects.
Submit to Labuan FSA
We file the application, with your directors and principal officer put forward as fit and proper.
Conditional approval
On conditional approval you typically have around 90 days to meet the operational conditions: office, staff and paid-up capital.
Licence granted
Once the conditions are met, the licence is issued and you start operating.
What you submit to Labuan FSA.
A money broking application stands on its file. These are the documents the regulator expects, and what we prepare with you.
Corporate documents
The incorporation documents and constitution of your Labuan company, with its shareholding and beneficial ownership.
Business plan
A credible business plan covering your broking model, target markets, financial projections and risk controls.
Financial resources
Evidence of the paid-up capital, unimpaired by losses, and confirmation it is held with a regulated bank in Labuan or Malaysia.
AML and CFT framework
Your anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism policies, and the principal officer who runs them under the AMLA 2001.
Fit-and-proper documents
Profiles, references and declarations for the directors, the principal officer and persons in control, so Labuan FSA can assess them.
Home-regulator consent
If you are already regulated elsewhere, a letter of awareness or written consent from your home supervisory authority.
What a Labuan money broking licence requires.
What Labuan FSA expects from a money broking applicant.
- Scope and limits
- Brokerage between counterparties in foreign exchange and money market products, and digital assets where you choose. You act as an intermediary only, with no proprietary or principal trading.
- Capital
- Minimum paid-up capital of RM1,000,000, unimpaired by losses, rising to RM1,500,000 if you also broker digital assets. Held with a regulated bank in Labuan or Malaysia.
- Substance
- An operational office in Labuan, at least two full-time staff, and minimum annual operating expenditure of RM100,000.
- Eligibility
- 100% foreign ownership is allowed, through a Labuan company. Directors are assessed as fit and proper, not on nationality, and need not live in Labuan. Labuan FSA looks for around three years of money broking experience. A regulated foreign broker provides a letter of awareness from its home regulator.
- Governance and AML
- At least two board members and a principal officer, approved by Labuan FSA as fit and proper, with AML and CFT controls under the AMLA 2001.
- Digital assets
- Brokering digital assets adds a Digital Currency Oversight Committee of at least two senior managers and Travel Rule compliance. Admissible currencies exclude securities-like tokens, privacy coins and algorithmic stablecoins.
Conventional or digital, and what you can broker.
Your scope decides your obligations. Two paths sit under one licence, with conduct rules either way.
- Conventional broking arranges foreign exchange and money market deals between counterparties, with a maximum client leverage of 100:1.
- Digital asset broking adds the broking of digital assets, with higher minimum capital, a Digital Currency Oversight Committee, Travel Rule compliance, and a maximum client leverage of 1:1.
- You deal in foreign currency, not Malaysian ringgit beyond administrative expenses, and not with Malaysian residents other than authorised dealers.
- Client money is held separately from your own funds and is not available for the broker's debts.
- Contracts for difference on non-currency underlyings such as shares, indices or commodities are not permitted. Either path, you broker as an intermediary only.
Frequently asked.
Direct answers on scope, capital, eligibility, timing, conduct and digital asset coverage.
What is a Labuan money broking licence?
It lets you broker foreign exchange and money market deals between counterparties, and digital assets where permitted. You act as an intermediary only; trading on your own account, market-making or acting as principal is not allowed. It is also known as a Labuan forex or money broker licence.
Is the Labuan forex licence the same as the money broking licence?
Yes. What is marketed as a Labuan forex licence is the money broking licence. There is no separate forex licence; foreign exchange broking sits within money broking.
How much capital does a Labuan money broker need?
Minimum paid-up capital is RM1,000,000, unimpaired by losses, rising to RM1,500,000 if you also broker digital assets. It is held with a regulated bank in Labuan or Malaysia, and Labuan FSA may set more for a higher-risk profile.
What substance is required for a Labuan money broker?
An operational office in Labuan, at least two full-time staff, and minimum annual operating expenditure of RM100,000.
Can a foreign company apply for a Labuan money broker licence?
Yes. 100% foreign ownership is allowed, through a Labuan company. Directors are assessed on fit-and-proper criteria, not nationality, and need not live in Labuan. Labuan FSA looks for around three years of money broking experience.
Does a regulated foreign broker need consent from its home regulator?
Yes. If you are already a regulated broker elsewhere, Labuan FSA expects a letter of awareness or written consent from your home supervisory authority before you conduct money broking business in Labuan.
How long does a Labuan money broker licence take?
After conditional approval you typically have around 90 days to meet the operational conditions, such as office, staff and capital. The overall process usually runs several months and depends on the file and the regulator.
Can a Labuan money broker deal with Malaysian residents?
No, other than authorised dealers. A Labuan money broker transacts in foreign currency, not Malaysian ringgit except for administrative and statutory expenses.
Can a Labuan money broker trade CFDs or crypto?
A money broker deals in foreign exchange and money market instruments. Contracts for difference on non-currency underlyings such as shares, indices or commodities are not permitted. Digital assets can be brokered under the digital path, with higher capital and added oversight.
What is the maximum leverage for a Labuan money broker?
A Labuan money broker applies a maximum client leverage of 100:1 on conventional foreign exchange, and 1:1 on digital assets given their speculative nature.
Can a money broker trade on its own account?
No. A Labuan money broker acts only as an intermediary between counterparties. Proprietary or principal trading, including market-making, is not permitted.
How is a Labuan money broker taxed?
Labuan trading activity is taxed at 3% of audited net profits under LBATA, provided you meet the substance requirements.
What digital asset rules apply to a Labuan money broker?
Brokering digital assets adds higher minimum capital, a Digital Currency Oversight Committee of at least two senior managers, and Travel Rule compliance. Admissible currencies exclude tokens with the features of securities, privacy coins and algorithmic stablecoins.
What documents are needed for a Labuan money broking licence?
Labuan FSA expects your Labuan company's corporate documents, a credible business plan, evidence of paid-up capital, an AML and CFT framework with a principal officer, and fit-and-proper documentation for your directors and controllers. A broker already regulated elsewhere also provides a letter of awareness from its home regulator.
Get your file scoped before you commit capital.
Tell us about your broker model. We design the oversight, benchmark the capital, and route the file under our Labuan FSA licence.
Make an enquiry Or WhatsApp our team