Services
Sector licensing and regulatory advisory
Some businesses cannot start trading on incorporation alone. We prepare and manage sector licence applications, and we tell you at the outset whether the licence is realistic on your facts and how long it is genuinely likely to take.
| Common licensed sectors | Financial services and payments, travel, education, food, employment agencies |
| Financial services licensing | Payment institution and capital markets services licences assessed against MAS requirements in Singapore, and equivalent regulators elsewhere |
| Timeline | Ranges from a few weeks for simpler trade licences to 6-12+ months for regulated financial services licences |
| Ongoing obligation | Most licences carry annual renewal and periodic regulatory reporting, not a one-time approval |
What’s included
- Financial services and payment-related licensing and advisory
- Travel, education, food and employment-sector licences
- Regulatory correspondence and remediation
- AML and KYC policy documentation and risk assessments
Frequently asked questions
How long does a payment institution licence take in Singapore?
Depending on the licence tier under the Payment Services Act, expect anywhere from several months to over a year including MAS review time — we give a realistic estimate after reviewing your specific business model, not a generic figure.
Do I need an AML/KYC policy if I’m not a financial institution?
If you operate in a regulated sector, handle client funds, or are onboarded by banks and payment providers as a higher-risk business, having documented AML/KYC policies materially improves account approval odds even without a formal legal requirement.
What happens if a licence application is rejected?
We review the regulator’s stated grounds, address the specific gap, and either resubmit or advise on an alternative structure — sometimes the more efficient path is restructuring the business model rather than repeatedly appealing the same application.