Mauritius

DeFi Intel Research Desk2026-07-12Africa

Is crypto legal in Mauritius? (2026)

Yes — cryptocurrency is legal in Mauritius. Current status: Legal — FSC-licensed. Oversight sits with Financial Services Commission (FSC) Mauritius. Full details — governing law, licensing, tax and dated enforcement history — follow below (last reviewed 2026-07-12).

Framework: Virtual Asset and Initial Token Offering Services Act 2021 (VAITOS, in force 7 February 2022) + FSC Rules issued under the Act.

Mauritius was among the first African and Indian Ocean financial centres to enact a full FATF-aligned virtual-asset statute. The VAITOS Act 2021, in force since 7 February 2022, empowers the Financial Services Commission (FSC) to license virtual asset service providers across five classes — Class M (virtual asset broker-dealer), Class O (wallet services), Class R (custodian), Class I (advisory) and Class S (marketplace/exchange) — and to register issuers of initial token offerings. Minimum capital ranges from MUR 2 million to MUR 6.5 million depending on the licence class. The Act was developed expressly in accordance with FATF standards for managing and mitigating AML/CFT risks of virtual assets, and the FSC has issued supplementary FSC Rules and published implementation FAQs under it.

Tax treatment

Mauritius applies its standard regime to the sector's operators: a 15% corporate tax rate, no capital-gains tax, and an extensive double-taxation treaty network (45+ agreements) — a core part of the jurisdiction's fintech pitch.

Travel rule applicability

Status: FATF-aligned by design. The VAITOS Act was drafted to implement FATF virtual-asset standards, and licensees carry AML/CFT obligations supervised by the FSC. Mauritius-specific transfer-data thresholds are pending verification.

Notable enforcement actions

• 2022. No enforcement actions verified by DeFi Intel this cycle. Key milestone: VAITOS commenced on 7 February 2022, followed by FSC Rules and licensing FAQs; the FSC publishes regulatory actions on fscmauritius.org.

Public licensed CASP list

The FSC licenses VASPs across classes M, O, R, I and S and maintains the authoritative register of licensees on fscmauritius.org; DeFi Intel mirrors regulator registers rather than third-party lists.

Comparison to neighbours

Compare Mauritius crypto regulation with three geographically adjacent jurisdictions:

Doing business in Mauritius — practical notes

Licence class determines both permitted scope and required capital (MUR 2 million–6.5 million). The 15% corporate rate, absence of capital-gains tax and the treaty network are the commercial draw; a FATF-grade AML/CFT programme is the entry price, with FSC fit-and-proper vetting of officers.

Methodology and sources

This profile was researched and updated by DeFi Intel's research desk on 2026-07-12 from the primary and secondary sources listed below. Claims that could not be verified against a source are omitted or marked pending — we do not republish unverified third-party datasets. Submit corrections and primary-source links to [email protected].

Sources

• FSC Mauritius — VAITOS Act 2021 (official text)
• FSC Mauritius — VAITOS Act FAQs (official)
• Mauritius IFC — VAITOS framework overview
• Charltons Quantum — Mauritius virtual assets regulation
• Appleby — FSC Rules issued under VAITOS