How to open bank accounts and payment processing for Anjouan-licensed iGaming operators. Covers AGC licence costs, EMI options, offshore banking, and who should choose Anjouan.
The Anjouan Gaming Commission has emerged as one of the fastest-growing offshore gaming licensing authorities in the world — and for good reason. For operators who need a credible, affordable licence faster than Malta MGA or UKGC can deliver, Anjouan offers a regulated framework backed by the Autonomous Island of Anjouan within the Comoros Union. This guide covers everything an operator needs to know: the licence itself, which banks and EMIs accept Anjouan-licensed businesses, what payment processing looks like in practice, and how it compares to the alternatives.
The Anjouan Gaming Commission (AGC) is the online gaming regulatory authority of Anjouan, one of the three autonomous islands that make up the Comoros Union in the Indian Ocean. The Commission issues licences to online casino operators, sports betting companies, poker rooms, and gaming software suppliers operating internationally.
Anjouan occupies a specific niche in the licensing landscape: it offers a faster, cheaper route to a regulated framework than Malta MGA, Gibraltar, or UKGC — while providing meaningfully more credibility than unregulated operations and, in the view of many banking compliance teams, comparable standing to Curaçao post-2023 reform.
Key characteristics:
The primary B2C licence for operators offering casino games — slots, live dealer, table games, virtual sports. Covers real-money gaming to international players.
Requirements:
Standalone licence for fixed-odds and in-play sports betting operators. Covers all sports and esports markets.
For dedicated online poker rooms offering ring games and tournaments.
For B2B suppliers providing platform software, game content, or payment services to AGC-licensed operators. Required for white-label providers serving Anjouan licensees.
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Online Casino Licence application | USD $15,000–$20,000 |
| Sports Betting Licence application | USD $12,000–$18,000 |
| Annual licence fee (renewal) | USD $10,000–$15,000 |
| Software Supplier Licence | USD $8,000–$12,000 |
| Key personnel assessment | USD $1,000–$2,000 per person |
Fees are broadly comparable to Kahnawake and Tobique — significantly lower than MGA (€25k–€125k application) and UKGC (£17k–£75k+).
This is faster than any regulated European or North American licence, and broadly comparable to Curaçao's post-reform timeline. The AGC's responsiveness and English-language support make it practical for operators who need to move quickly.
The Anjouan licence sits in a similar banking position to Curaçao post-2023 — not at the level of MGA or UKGC, but with a clear and growing track record that specialist banking providers will work with.
What opens with an Anjouan licence:
What remains difficult:
The practical approach: Anjouan operators typically begin with an offshore or Lithuanian EMI, build 6–12 months of clean processing history, then use that history as the foundation for a banking upgrade — either to a Georgian bank account or eventually to a higher-tier processor.
For a full overview of offshore banking options for gaming operators, see our Best Offshore Banks for High-Risk Businesses guide and our Offshore Banking for iGaming guide.
Bankera (Bank of Lithuania) — one of the most consistently accessible Lithuanian EMIs for offshore-licensed gaming operators, including Anjouan licensees. Multi-currency IBANs, straightforward onboarding for complete applications.
Genome (Bank of Lithuania) — accepts selected offshore gaming operators including Anjouan licensees with strong compliance documentation. Known for responsive compliance teams and 2–4 week onboarding.
Mistertango (Bank of Lithuania) — suitable for smaller operators (under €100k/month). Faster onboarding than larger EMIs; SEPA-focused.
Paysera (Bank of Lithuania) — selective on offshore gaming; pre-screen essential. Works with Anjouan operators who have clean processing history and demonstrate strong AML frameworks.
Offshore-licensed EMIs (SVG, Belize, Seychelles) — several offshore EMIs explicitly include Anjouan in their accepted licence list. Higher fees (3–5% FX spreads, $50–$200/month maintenance) but accessible for early-stage operators or those who have been declined by European EMIs. Use these as transitional accounts while building history, not as permanent infrastructure.
For the full EMI comparison by industry, see our Best EMIs for High-Risk Businesses guide.
TBC Bank (Georgia) — assesses Anjouan-licensed operators pragmatically. The key factors are quality of the AML policy, full UBO transparency, source of funds documentation, and the operator's transaction profile. A well-prepared application with 6+ months of clean EMI statements has a realistic approval rate.
Bank of Georgia — similar risk appetite to TBC. Preferred for operators with USD-heavy transaction profiles or international wire infrastructure needs.
Belize-based institutions — historically friendly to Indian Ocean jurisdiction operators. USD access through Canadian or Caribbean correspondent banks; functional for operators not requiring EUR settlement.
Recommended structure for an Anjouan operator:
Anjouan operators have access to a mid-tier payment processing universe — broader than unregulated businesses, narrower than MGA or UKGC licensees.
| Processor | Anjouan Acceptance | Debit Card Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuvei | Selective | 3.0–5.5% | Manual review; possible with strong docs |
| Paysafe / Skrill | Yes | 3.0–5.0% | Consistent Anjouan acceptance |
| PaymentWall | Yes | 3.5–5.5% | Good alternative payment method coverage |
| Praxis Cashier | Yes | 3.5–5.5% | Payment orchestration; aggregates multiple processors |
| Stripe | No | N/A | Excludes all gaming regardless of licence |
| Worldpay | Selective | 2.5–4.5% | Requires significant processing history |
| 2000Charge | Yes | 4.0–6.0% | Offshore specialist; accessible for smaller operators |
| Payvision | Selective | 3.0–5.0% | Netherlands-based; formal risk review required |
Alternative payment methods are important for Anjouan operators serving markets where card acceptance is difficult. Crypto payment gateways (CoinPayments, BitPay, NOWPayments) are popular among Anjouan-licensed casinos for players who prefer crypto deposits. E-wallets (Skrill, Neteller, ecoPayz) provide reliable coverage in most European markets.
Rolling reserves: expect 8–12% held for 90–180 days as standard for new Anjouan-licensed merchants — higher than the 5–10% typical for MGA operators. Clean chargeback history below 1% over 12 months is the primary route to reserve reduction.
For the full payment processing guide, see our High-Risk Payment Processing and High-Risk Merchant Account Guide.
| Jurisdiction | Comoros (Indian Ocean) | Netherlands Antilles | Canada (First Nations) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulatory standing | Emerging — growing recognition | Reformed 2023 — moderate | Established since 1999 |
| Application fee | USD $12k–$20k | USD $17k–$35k | CAD $10k–$30k |
| Timeline | 4–8 weeks | 4–8 weeks | 8–16 weeks |
| EMI acceptance | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate–High |
| Offshore bank acceptance | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate–High |
| Debit card rate (typical) | 3.0–5.5% | 3.5–7.0% | 2.0–4.0% |
| Rolling reserve | 8–12% | 10–15% | 5–10% |
| AML framework | FATF-aligned | FATF-aligned (since 2023 reform) | FATF / FINTRAC |
| Annual compliance cost | Low | Low | Low–Moderate |
| Player trust (EU/UK markets) | Moderate | Lower post-2023 | Moderate |
| Crypto-friendly | High | High | Moderate |
The Anjouan licence competes directly with Curaçao for the fast, affordable offshore licensing segment. Its advantage over Curaçao is that the 2023 Curaçao reform made that licence more expensive and slower; its disadvantage is that it has less historical recognition. Kahnawake retains an edge in banking access due to its longer track record.
For the Curaçao deep-dive, see our Curaçao Gaming Licence & Business Banking guide. For Kahnawake, see our Kahnawake Gaming Banking guide.
Anjouan IBC — the AGC allows and simplifies licensing for entities incorporated locally in Anjouan. Low incorporation cost; practical for operators who want a single-jurisdiction structure.
Seychelles IBC — one of the most commonly paired entities with the Anjouan licence. Low cost, flexible constitutional documents, and familiar to the EMIs and offshore banks that serve this market.
BVI IBC (British Virgin Islands) — also widely accepted by the AGC. BVI entities have better correspondent bank recognition than Seychelles or Anjouan entities, though both still require specialist banking providers.
Malta Ltd — accepted by the AGC and allows a dual-licence structure (MGA + Anjouan) for operators expanding from the regulated EU market into broader international markets.
Regardless of the corporate entity, banking counterparties will scrutinise:
The AGC's AML requirements are consistent with FATF's core recommendations and cover:
The AGC does not mandate a specific software vendor for transaction monitoring or KYC verification, which gives operators flexibility to choose tools appropriate for their customer profile and volume.
For the full AML compliance framework, see our AML/KYC Compliance for High-Risk Businesses guide.
Anjouan is the right choice for:
Start-up operators entering the iGaming market who need to be operational within 2–3 months and cannot wait 12–18 months for MGA or 6–12 months for UKGC. The Anjouan licence gets you into the market quickly while you build the operational history and financial track record needed for a premium licence upgrade.
Curaçao migrants moving away from the legacy Curaçao sub-licence system who want comparable speed and cost but are evaluating alternatives to the reformed Curaçao GCA framework.
Crypto-native operators — the Anjouan framework is crypto-friendly, accepting BTC/ETH for player deposits and has no specific restrictions on crypto-based gaming models that some other regulators have introduced.
Operators targeting emerging markets (Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia) where MGA or UKGC licensing is not commercially necessary — these markets' players are less sensitive to the specific regulatory brand.
White-label operations that need a licensing framework for a short-term launch while the main operating entity obtains a more prestigious licence.
Anjouan is not the right choice for:
Is the Anjouan licence legitimate?
Yes. The Anjouan Gaming Commission is the official regulatory authority of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan within the Comoros Union. The licence is issued under Anjouan's own legislative framework and carries legal standing within that jurisdiction. It is not a European regulatory licence and does not carry EU-market access rights — but as an international offshore licence, it is legitimate and its AML requirements are substantive.
Can I target UK and EU players with an Anjouan licence?
Technically, nothing in the Anjouan licence itself restricts which markets you target. However: UK players require a UKGC licence to be legally served; many EU member states require domestic or MGA licences for marketing within their territory. Operating towards regulated markets without the appropriate licence creates regulatory and enforcement risk. The Anjouan licence is best suited for markets where offshore licensing is accepted.
How quickly can I start processing payments with an Anjouan licence?
Realistically, 8–14 weeks from starting the licensing process: 4–8 weeks for the licence, plus 3–6 weeks for EMI onboarding. Payment processor setup runs in parallel. If you start EMI applications during the licence process, you can be processing within 8–10 weeks of starting the application.
How does the 2023 Curaçao reform affect the comparison with Anjouan?
The Curaçao Gaming Authority (GCA) reform, which took effect in 2023, replaced the legacy master-licence sub-licence system with a direct licensing model. This increased costs (USD $17k–$35k application vs. the old few-hundred-dollar sub-licence) and extended timelines. Anjouan has benefited from this — operators who previously chose Curaçao for speed and cost now often evaluate Anjouan as a comparable or superior alternative.
Can I upgrade from Anjouan to MGA or UKGC later?
Yes, and this is a common progression. Many operators launch on an Anjouan (or Curaçao) licence, build 12–24 months of operating history, clean chargeback records, and audited financials, then apply for MGA or UKGC. The operating history significantly strengthens the premium licence application and is taken into account by the regulator's suitability assessment.
GetBanked works with operators licensed under Anjouan, Curaçao, Kahnawake, Tobique, Malta MGA, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, and UKGC frameworks — and supports operators through licence upgrades as their business scales.
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