Payment Processing for Seychelles-Licensed Forex Brokers

Forex and CFD brokers in Seychelles hold a Securities Dealer licence from the Financial Services Authority under the Securities Act 2007. The Act was substantially amended with effect from 1 January 2025, together with new regulations on fees, conduct of business, advertising and financial statements. Firms licensed before 2025 had until 30 June 2026 to comply with the amended rules.

Licences no longer have to be renewed every year. Instead, annual fees are paid by 31 January together with a compliance certificate.

The amended Act requires at least two resident, fit-and-proper persons in the business, such as directors, compliance officers or managers, and at least one director who is a full-time resident employee. Changing key people without the FSA's approval carries a penalty of USD 5,000 a day. Industry sources report a minimum paid-up capital of USD 100,000, up from USD 50,000, and the FSA can require more.

For an acquirer, this is useful evidence. A broker that can show a real office, resident management and a compliance officer in Seychelles answers the first question offshore brokers usually face: who actually runs this business, and from where.

A Seychelles licence does not let you market to clients in the EU or the UK. A firm outside the EU may only serve an EU client who approached it entirely on their own initiative, and ESMA has made clear that any marketing in the EU, or a generic consent box on a website, does not count as that. In the UK, firms need FCA authorisation, and in the US retail forex requires CFTC registration.

Acquirers read your client list with this in mind. Expect your permitted countries to exclude the EU, UK and US unless you hold licences there, and expect deposits by country to be checked against what you declared.

Brokers are processed under merchant category code 6211. Mastercard classes them as high-risk securities merchants and requires acquirers to collect their licences before processing; Visa registers them under Tier 3 of its Visa Integrity Risk Program. From 18 October 2026, Visa requires CFD and rolling spot forex deposits to be processed as account funding transactions by registered merchants. Mastercard requires the same switch for these merchants: it already applies in the US and Canada, and applies in the UK, Europe and the Middle East and North Africa from 31 March 2027.

• Your FSA Securities Dealer licence, held by the entity that will sign the merchant agreement, and confirmation that you meet the amended Act.
• Your resident directors and staff, office address and the bank holding your capital.
• The countries you accept clients from, the ones you block, and how you enforce that.
• How client money is segregated and how deposits move from the payment provider to client accounts.
• Your AML framework under the Seychelles AML/CFT Act 2020, including identity checks before deposits.
• How affiliates and introducers market your brand, and in which countries.
• Processing history: volume, approval rates, refunds and chargebacks by month.

• A clear client market list that leaves out countries where you would need a local licence.
• Deposits only from cards and accounts in the client's own name, with withdrawals back to the same source.
• A risk warning and appropriate leverage disclosed on your website.
• Low dispute rates, backed by fast, clear withdrawals.
• A second licence in a stronger jurisdiction if you want to serve European clients.

Ecompayer is not a payment provider. You add your licence, client markets, volumes and payment methods once, and your profile is matched with a payment provider that boards Seychelles-licensed brokers and covers your client markets. Your account is then prepared with that provider so you can take client deposits. Final approval and terms are always the provider's decision.

• Securities Act 2007 as amended by the Securities (Amendment) Act 2024, in force 1 January 2025.
• Financial Services Authority Seychelles, Circular No. 1 of 2025.
• Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act 2020.
• ESMA, statement on reverse solicitation, 13 January 2021.
• Visa Integrity Risk Program; Visa rules for high-risk investment products effective 18 October 2026, as published by Checkout.com.