Mauritius will soon start issuing custodian licenses to companies holding digital assets on behalf of their clients because the current licensing regime is not suited for that purpose. Moreover, Mauritius is about to receive its first blockchain securities exchange.

Digital Asset Custodian Licenses

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) of the Republic of Mauritius released the draft framework intended for the fintech companies. They define “digital assets” as electronic tokens representing the holder’s access rights to a service or ownership of an asset. The FSC is currently accepting feedback on the proposal from industry representatives, stakeholders and the public. With the discussions and consultations going on till the end of November.

The FSC considers them a digital representation of value which can be a medium of exchange, the unit of account and store of value. The tokens can also represent assets such as debt or equity in the promoter or “provide access to a blockchain-based application, service or product.”

Currently, the two kinds of licenses for traditional financial services the FSC provides do not support the specifics of safekeeping cryptographic assets. The proposed license is, therefore, specific to address this difference and comply with the current relevant regulations and laws.

One requirement includes an obligation to “have and maintain a minimum stated unimpaired capital of not less than 500,000 Mauritian rupees ($14,409.64).” Businesses wanting to apply for the license will need to have offices set up in Mauritius and also have permanent representatives to deal with the FSC as well as maintain records of the custodian. The boards of directors will need three members and up, “at least one of whom shall be resident in Mauritius.”

Additionally, those providing the custodian service providers will be required to have insurance protection for the assets that are kept in custody. They are subject to providing evidence of such arrangements to the FSC. They must also have systems in place that ensure compliance with all reporting requirements under Mauritian law.

Mauritius Receives a Blockchain Securities Exchange

As a result of Mauritius’ openness to digital assets, Mindex, GMEX Group and Hybrid Stock Exchange Corporation Limited (HYBSE) have partnered to create Mauritius’ first blockchain securities exchange. The joint venture – called HYBSE International Marketplace – plans to “integrate blockchain solutions and technology with traditional financial industries providing a complete and governed ecosystem that digitalises assets onto the blockchain.”

“As we embark on a journey to pave a previous uncharted way forward, this will inevitably create an ideal prospect to move the evolution of all financial systems, light-years ahead. We must also maintain a conscious belief of the power of this evolutionary step, as not to disrupt current global markets, but to rather bolster a new way of thinking that encompasses a decentralised and truly free market entity,” HYBSE’s operations manager, Daniel Liu, said.

The firms claim SMEs will be able to use the marketplace for an initial blockshare offering (IBO), such as block-shares, from businesses registered on the marketplace at “special discounted rates”. IBO is a time-limited offer to purchase cryptonised equities and other cryptonised instruments.

Asset classes that will be facilitated for trade will include cryptonised shares, cryptonised currencies, commodities, indices, forex, ETCs (exchange-traded commodities), ETFs (exchange-traded funds), and CETFs (crypto exchange-traded funds).