Approved Maltese forex licenses
A Malta forex broker licence — formally a Category 2 or Category 3 Investment Services Licence (ISL) issued by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) under the Investment Services Act — is one of the most recognised EU-regulated authorisations for forex and CFD brokers worldwide.
The framework aligns with MiFID II, providing full EU passporting across all 30 EEA member states. A Category 2 licence covers reception and transmission, execution of orders, and portfolio management; Category 3 adds dealing on own account (market-making). Minimum capital requirements: €125,000 for Category 2 STP-model brokers; €730,000 for Category 3 market-makers.
Malta’s commercial structure is compelling: an effective 5% corporate tax rate through Malta’s shareholder refund mechanism, combined with a mature regulatory ecosystem and established relationships with global liquidity providers, PSPs, and prime brokers. New licence applications take 12–18 months in practice. A ready-made Malta forex broker licence compresses this significantly, though MFSA’s change-of-control review — including fitness and propriety assessment of incoming controllers — is mandatory.
This page covers MFSA-licensed Malta investment firm entities with forex authorisation currently available for transfer, alongside a full breakdown of permitted activities, capital tiers, and the MFSA acquisition process.
Legasset helps clients with both ready-made Malta investment firm acquisitions and new MFSA applications — capital structuring, governance setup, MFSA filings, and PSP onboarding.
Offer Information
Maltese MFSA Regulated Brokerage Trading Firm
- Holds an MT5 Main Label license.
- The firm is authorized to offer services to retail clients, professional clients (including collective investment schemes), and eligible counterparties.
- Operating across the Euro Area, the firm uses its branches and passporting rights to extend its services.
- It is permitted to trade in various instruments, including foreign exchange, commodities, shares and stocks, cryptocurrencies, energy products, and indices.
