The Bahamas is a long-established international financial centre known for private banking, trust and wealth management business serving non-resident clients, alongside a domestic banking sector of clearing banks. It was one of the first jurisdictions to adopt a dedicated digital asset statute and now regulates crypto businesses under the Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges Act, 2024.
Risk flagStandard
FATFNot listed
EU AML high-risk listNot listed
EU tax listNot listed
Licence regimes6
CurrencyBSD
S&P ratingBB-
Next electiondue by 2031
Not on the FATF lists in the public statements of 19 June 2026, not on the EU high-risk third country list (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675, consolidated version of 29 January 2026), and not in Annex I or Annex II of the EU tax list as revised on 17 February 2026. Checked 7 October 2026.
King (represented by Governor-General Dame Cynthia Pratt)
Charles III · since September 2022
Prime Minister
Philip Davis (Progressive Liberal Party (PLP))
Governing parties
Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)
Last election
General (parliamentary), 12 May 2026
Next election
General (parliamentary), due by 2031
Legislature
Parliament: House of Assembly (41 seats) and Senate (16 appointed members)
Legal system
English common law
Economy and finance
Population
403k (2025)
GDP
USD 16.5bn (2025)
GDP per person
USD 40,005 (2025)
Currency
Bahamian dollar (BSD), pegged to USD at par
Central bank
Central Bank of The Bahamas
Credit rating
S&P BB- (stable) · Moody's Ba3 (stable) (as of April 2026)
Tourism generates most output and employment, and Nassau is a long-established offshore centre for private banking, trust and fund business supervised by the Central Bank and the Securities Commission of The Bahamas.
Bank
Public bank and/or trust licence
Minimum capitalUSD 5m
TimelineCentral Bank states a typical processing timeframe of 2 months once all documents are received
AuthorityCentral Bank of The Bahamas
BSD 5,000,000 for a public bank or public bank and trust licence (BSD 1,000,000 for a public trust licence), per Central Bank licence application guidelines; the Governor may set higher amounts
Law
Banks and Trust Companies Regulation Act (licensing by the Central Bank under section 3); Banks and Trust Companies (Licence Application) Regulations, 2002
Fees
Annual licence fee BSD 35,000 for public bank, trust, or bank and trust licensees per the Central Bank guidelines (higher asset-based fees from BSD 450,000 apply to authorised dealers and from BSD 60,000 to authorised agents). The guidelines were last revised in 2013/2015 under the 2000 Act; confirm current amounts with the Central Bank.
Passporting
No passporting regime.
Key requirements
Physical presence in The Bahamas under the Central Bank's minimum physical presence guidelines
Fit and proper shareholders, directors and senior officers
Exchange control designation as resident or non-resident
Audited IFRS financial statements, published in the Gazette within four months of year end
Public trust licensees must hold professional indemnity insurance (generally the greater of 3 times relevant fees or USD 3,000,000)
Restricted bank and/or trust licence (including nominee trust licence)
Minimum capitalUSD 100k
TimelineCentral Bank states a typical processing timeframe of 2 months once all documents are received
AuthorityCentral Bank of The Bahamas
BSD 100,000 for restricted bank, trust, or bank and trust licences; BSD 10,000 for a nominee trust licence
Law
Banks and Trust Companies Regulation Act; Banks and Trust Companies (Licence Application) Regulations, 2002
Fees
Annual licence fee BSD 15,000 for restricted bank or bank and trust; BSD 5,000 for restricted trust or nominee trust (per Central Bank guidelines revised 2013/2015).
Passporting
No passporting regime.
Key requirements
Business limited to specified persons, usually named in the licence (private or group use)
Nominee trust licensees limited to holding assets in their own name and providing corporate directors and officers for the parent's clients
Physical presence and corporate governance requirements of the Central Bank
Payment service provider licence (electronic retail payment instruments and electronic money)
Minimum capitalUSD 100k
TimelineNot published
AuthorityCentral Bank of The Bahamas
Minimum unimpaired capital of BSD 100,000 per the application checklist, plus liquidity of at least 3 times average maximum daily settlement value and 6 months of gross operating expenses
Law
Payment Systems Act, 2012; Payment Instruments (Oversight) Regulations, 2017
Fees
Annual licence fee BSD 10,000 for payment institutions (Central Bank PSP guidelines, July 2017).
Passporting
No passporting regime.
Key requirements
Company incorporated under the Companies Act, 1992
E-money issuers must hold 100 percent of e-money balances in a custodian account in the banking system
Wallet and transaction limits set by the Central Bank (for example a maximum load amount of BSD 15,000)
Board approved risk, AML/CFT and outsourcing arrangements; outsourcing needs prior Central Bank authorisation
Registration as a digital asset business (including digital asset exchange)
Minimum capitalNot published
TimelineNot published
AuthoritySecurities Commission of The Bahamas
Law
Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges Act, 2024 (Act No. 40 of 2024), Part III; Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges (Fees) Rules, 2024 (S.I. No. 110 of 2024)
Fees
Digital asset exchange: application BSD 6,250, registration BSD 18,750, annual renewal BSD 18,750. Other digital asset businesses: application BSD 3,750, registration BSD 12,500, annual renewal BSD 12,500. Additional activities and officer registrations (CEO, compliance officer, MLRO: BSD 575 application, BSD 800 annual) are extra. Token offering memorandum filing BSD 6,000.
Passporting
No passporting regime.
Key requirements
Registration with the Commission before carrying on digital asset business in or from The Bahamas
Liquid capital not below the required liquid capital prescribed by the Commission
Registered CEO, compliance officer and money laundering reporting officer
Fit and proper directors, founders, beneficial owners and significant interest holders
Registration as a securities firm (dealing, arranging, managing, advising; CFD dealing)
Minimum capitalNot published
TimelineNot published
AuthoritySecurities Commission of The Bahamas
Law
Securities Industry Act, 2024; Securities Industry (Fees) Rules, 2024 (S.I. No. 107 of 2024)
Fees
CFD dealers: application BSD 5,000, registration BSD 20,000, annual renewal BSD 45,000, plus a quarterly activity fee. Fees for other registration categories are set in S.I. No. 107 of 2024 (table not machine readable in the published PDF, so not reproduced here). Individual registrations such as CEO and compliance officer carry an annual fee of BSD 800.
Passporting
No passporting regime.
Key requirements
Registration with the Commission for each category of securities business
Registered CEO, compliance officer and registered representatives
Capital, conduct and reporting rules made by the Commission
CFD firms must appoint a registered CFD supervisory officer
Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBB) · websitebanks, Trust companies, Payment service providers, E-money institutions
Securities Commission of The Bahamas (SCB) · websiteInvestment firms, Funds, Virtual asset service providers (VASPs)
The bank and trust capital and fee figures come from the Central Bank's licence application guidelines (revised 2013, page dated May 2015), which refer to the Banks and Trust Companies Regulation Act, 2000. That Act has since been replaced by the Banks and Trust Companies Regulation Act, 2020, and the Central Bank published further regulations in 2025, so applicants should confirm current amounts directly. Fund fees and securities firm capital requirements could not be read from the published rules (image based PDFs) and are left null. The DARE Act, 2024 replaced the Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges Act, 2020; its exact commencement date was not confirmed from an official source in this check. The Financial and Corporate Service Providers Act, 2020, also administered by the Securities Commission, covers non-bank money lenders, bill payment services and corporate service providers. Online gaming: no licensing regime for offshore online gaming operators was researched here; domestic gaming houses are regulated by the Gaming Board. Earlier EU tax list history for The Bahamas was not verified; it was absent from both annexes in the Council conclusions of 18 October 2024 and the update of 17 February 2026.
General information
About The Bahamas
Natural Earth boundaries. Map is indicative.
Status
Sovereign state
Capital
Nassau
Area
13,880 km²
Official languages
English
Time zone
UTC-05:00 (UTC-04:00 in summer)
Main exports
Tourism
Financial services
Refined petroleum
Shellfish
Aluminium
Main export partners
United States
Zimbabwe
Cote d'Ivoire
Germany
Guyana
Sources for the country information(8)
Country information checked 9 October 2026. Licensing data updated 7 October 2026. Information only, not legal advice; requirements change. Regulatory notice.
