# Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA): register, licences and requirements Source page: https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/fsca-south-africa/ The FSCA is South Africa's market-conduct regulator for financial institutions, established in 2018 under the Twin Peaks reform. It licenses Financial Services Providers (FSPs) under the FAIS Act, including crypto asset service providers since 1 June 2023 (310 of 533 applicants approved by 31 March 2026), plus over-the-counter derivative providers under the Financial Markets Act. ## How to check a firm on the FSCA register Search the FSP register by entity name, FSP licence number, or trading name; an active entry shows the licence status, licensed categories (I-IV), key individuals and representatives. [4] - [FSP register search (current site)](https://www.fsca.co.za/Entity-Persons-Search/?iframe_target=financial-services-providers) [4] - [FSP register search (legacy site)](https://www2.fsca.co.za/Fais/Search_FSP.htm) [9] ## At a glance | Official name | Financial Sector Conduct Authority | | --- | --- | | Jurisdiction | [South Africa](https://protegra.io/licensing/jurisdictions/south-africa/) | | Type | Conduct regulator | | Headquarters | Pretoria [1] | | Founded | 2018 [2] | | Website | [fsca.co.za](https://www.fsca.co.za/) [3] | | Public register | [Official public register](https://www.fsca.co.za/Entity-Persons-Search/?iframe_target=financial-services-providers) [4] | | Licence types in the Atlas | 4 | ## What FSCA supervises The FSCA is South Africa's dedicated market-conduct regulator, supervising how financial institutions treat customers across banking, insurance, investment, retirement-fund and capital-markets sectors, alongside the Prudential Authority under the Twin Peaks model. [3] - financial advisory and intermediary services providers (FSPs), including crypto asset service providers [10] - over-the-counter derivative providers (ODPs) under the Financial Markets Act [11] - collective investment schemes, retirement funds, insurers (market conduct) and credit rating agencies [10] ## Licences FSCA issues - [IF · South AfricaFinancial Services Provider licence - Category I (advice and/or intermediary services, non-discretionary, incl. crypto assets)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/south-africa-fsp-cat1/) - [IF · South AfricaFinancial Services Provider licence - Category II (discretionary FSP)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/south-africa-fsp-cat2/) - [IF · South AfricaOver-the-Counter Derivative Provider (ODP) authorisation under the Financial Markets Act](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/south-africa-odp/) - [VASP · South AfricaCrypto Asset Service Provider licence (an FSP authorisation category under FAIS, not a MiCA-equivalent regime)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/vasp/south-africa/) ## Lesser-known services for applicants Not published ### Pre-application meeting / pre-assessment FSCA offers an optional pre-application meeting to discuss business plans and authorisation requirements before formal submission, per secondary compliance-industry guidance; FSCA's own new-applications page does not itself describe this process and no fee is stated. [5] Not published ### Innovation hub The regulator does not publish this. Not published ### Regulatory sandbox The regulator does not publish this. **Fee schedule:** Fees for FAIS Act licences are set by periodic FSCA General Notices under the Financial Sector Levies Act (currently General Notice 1 of 2024, effective 1 October 2024) [6] Compare with other regulators: [pre-application meetings](https://protegra.io/licensing/tools/pre-application/) · [sandboxes and innovation hubs](https://protegra.io/licensing/tools/sandboxes/). ## Statistics _Current licence holders in the official register [12]_ - 533 CASP licence applications received, 310 approved, 17 declined and 124 voluntarily withdrawn, as at 31 March 2026 (FSCA 2025/26 financial year end) [12] ## Fees and timelines | Licence | Fee | Amount | | --- | --- | --- | | [Financial Services Provider licence - Category I (advice and/or intermediary services, non-discretionary, incl. crypto assets)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/south-africa-fsp-cat1/) | application | R2,697 [7] | | [Financial Services Provider licence - Category II (discretionary FSP)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/south-africa-fsp-cat2/) | application | R16,313 [7] | | [Financial Services Provider licence - Category I (advice and/or intermediary services, non-discretionary, incl. crypto assets)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/south-africa-fsp-cat1/) | annual | levy per representative/key individual of R520-R551.20 for 2024/25 (Cat I/IV Long-Term Insurance subcategory A only: R250), plus other components; FSCA does not publish one flat annual fee [8] | _Time to a decision for Financial Services Provider licence - Category I (advice and/or intermediary services, non-discretionary, incl. crypto assets): statutory deadline vs observed._ | Licence | Statutory deadline | Observed | | --- | --- | --- | | [Financial Services Provider licence - Category I (advice and/or intermediary services, non-discretionary, incl. crypto assets)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/south-africa-fsp-cat1/) |: | reported 8-12 weeks in practice, as the FSCA Licensing Committee meets once a month to approve licences [5] | ## Changing the owner of a licensed firm **Notification only.** A 'significant owner' under FSR Act s157 is anyone able to control or materially influence an FSP's business or strategy, presumed at the power to appoint 15% of the governing body or holding a qualifying stake. For an ordinary FSP (not a bank, insurer, market infrastructure or CIS manager), FSR Act s158 prior-approval does not apply; the FSP must instead notify the FSCA of significant ownership. A new key individual, however, needs FSCA fit-and-proper approval (FAIS s8(4)(b), form FSP4D) before acting, and non-compliance must be notified within 30 days. [13] Buying a company that already holds one of these licences is often faster than applying. See [ready-made licensed companies](https://protegra.io/companies/) · [investment brokerage](https://protegra.io/companies/investment-brokerage/) · [crypto digital assets](https://protegra.io/companies/crypto-digital-assets/). ## Laws FSCA applies - [Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, 2002](https://protegra.io/licensing/laws/za-fais-act-2002/): Act No. 37 of 2002 ## Recent and upcoming changes - 2025-06-30: the temporary exemption of licensed crypto-asset FSPs and their key individuals from regulatory examination (RE) requirements (FAIS Notice 25 of 2023, extended by FAIS Notice 76 of 2024) expired, with no further extension. [14] - 2026-03-31: FSCA reported 533 CASP applications received since the 1 June 2023 licensing window opened, with 310 approved, 17 declined and 124 withdrawn. [12] ## Contacts and public register Address: Riverwalk Office Park, Block B, 41 Matroosberg Road, Ashlea Gardens, Pretoria, 0081, South Africa [1] Website: [fsca.co.za](https://www.fsca.co.za/) [3] Check whether a firm is licensed: [official register](https://www.fsca.co.za/Entity-Persons-Search/?iframe_target=financial-services-providers) [4] · [official register](https://www2.fsca.co.za/Fais/Search_FSP.htm) [9]. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does the FSCA regulate? The FSCA is South Africa's market-conduct regulator, overseeing how financial institutions treat customers across advisory and intermediary services (FSPs), collective investment schemes, retirement funds, insurers and capital markets, working alongside the Prudential Authority under the Twin Peaks model established by the Financial Sector Regulation Act 9 of 2017. ### Do crypto exchanges need an FSCA licence in South Africa? Yes. Since a 19 October 2022 declaration, crypto assets are 'financial products' under the FAIS Act, so crypto asset service providers must hold an FSP licence. A licensing window ran from 1 June 2023, and by 31 March 2026 the FSCA had approved 310 of 533 applications received. ### How long does an FSCA FSP licence application take? There is no fixed statutory deadline confirmed from a primary FSCA source; compliance-industry guidance reports roughly 8-12 weeks in practice, since the FSCA's Licensing Committee approves new licences at a monthly meeting. ### What does an FSCA Category I vs Category II FSP licence cover? Category I covers non-discretionary advice and/or intermediary services; Category II covers discretionary FSPs, who manage client portfolios at their own discretion. Both categories can include a crypto-asset authorisation since 2023. The application fee under the FSCA's current fee notice is R2,697 for Category I and R16,313 for Category II. ### Does South Africa require a separate licence for CFD or OTC derivative brokers? Yes. A person acting as an over-the-counter derivative provider (ODP) - originating, issuing or market-making OTC derivatives, including CFDs, as principal - must be separately authorised by the FSCA under the Financial Markets Act 19 of 2012, in addition to any FSP licence. ### Does a change of ownership require FSCA prior approval? Not automatically. FSR Act s158 prior-approval applies only to banks, insurers, market infrastructures and CIS managers, not ordinary FSPs. An FSP must instead notify the FSCA of a 'significant owner' - broadly, someone able to appoint 15% of the board or holding a qualifying stake - and any new key individual needs FSCA fit-and-proper approval before acting. ## Sources 1. [gov.za: financial sector conduct authority fsca](https://www.gov.za/about-government/contact-directory/soe/financial-sector-conduct-authority-fsca): retrieved 2026-09-24 2. [en.wikipedia.org: Financial Sector Conduct Authority (South Africa)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Sector_Conduct_Authority_(South_Africa)): retrieved 2026-09-24 3. [fsca.co.za](https://www.fsca.co.za/): retrieved 2026-09-24 4. [fsca.co.za: Entity Persons Search](https://www.fsca.co.za/Entity-Persons-Search/?iframe_target=financial-services-providers): retrieved 2026-09-24 5. [fsca.co.za: LR FAIS New Applications](https://www.fsca.co.za/LR-FAIS-New-Applications/): retrieved 2026-09-24 6. [horizoncompliance.co.za: fsp licence applications](https://www.horizoncompliance.co.za/fsp-licence-applications): retrieved 2026-09-24 7. [dealable24.com: south africa fsp license](https://dealable24.com/licenses/south-africa-fsp-license): retrieved 2026-09-24 8. [ctb.co.za: levies for financial services providers fsps 2024 2025](http://ctb.co.za/2024/09/02/levies-for-financial-services-providers-fsps-2024-2025/): retrieved 2026-09-24 9. [www2.fsca.co.za: Search FSP](https://www2.fsca.co.za/Fais/Search_FSP.htm): retrieved 2026-09-24 10. [fsca.co.za: New Financial Service Provider](https://www.fsca.co.za/New-Financial-Service-Provider/): retrieved 2026-09-24 11. [fanews.co.za: 31757](https://www.fanews.co.za/article/investments/8/forex/1440/odp-licensing-and-cfd-trading-industry-in-south-africa/31757): retrieved 2026-09-24 12. [fanews.co.za: 43764](https://www.fanews.co.za/article/compliance-regulatory/2/financial-sector-conduct-authority-fsca-was-fsb/1059/update-on-licensing-and-supervision-of-crypto-asset-service-providers/43764): retrieved 2026-03-31 13. [moonstone.co.za: honesty and integrity requirement now applies to the signifi](https://www.moonstone.co.za/honesty-and-integrity-requirement-now-applies-to-the-significant-owners-of-fsps/): retrieved 2026-09-24 14. [horizoncompliance.co.za: fsca extends regulatory exam exemption for crypto fsps until](https://www.horizoncompliance.co.za/complianceblog/fsca-extends-regulatory-exam-exemption-for-crypto-fsps-until-june-2025): retrieved 2026-09-24 Last verified 2026-09-24 · Author: Danil Marmysh · Reviewed by Anastasia Sidorenkova · © Protegra. Data: CC BY 4.0, cite "Protegra Licensing Atlas". Not legal advice.