Online Brokers Gain Crypto License Route in BVI
Brokers offering traditional instruments face a new licensing path for adding spot digital-asset services and fiat crypto ramps.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Financial Services
Rostro Group, which operates the Scope Markets and Scope Prime online trading brands, obtained a VASP registration from the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission under the Virtual Assets Service Providers Act, 2022. The registration, announced November 3, 2026, is the basis for planned spot digital-asset brokerage and fiat-crypto on- and off-ramping services for firms in its client base.
Why it matters
A licensed registration is the regulatory precondition for offering digital-asset brokerage at all, so this approval moves Rostro from a traditional trading platform toward crypto services. For operators in online brokerage and fintech, it shows how offshore virtual-asset licensing is being used to extend existing platforms into a new product line.
The registration is an official regulatory filing rather than a performance measure, and Rostro reports access to more than 40,000 financial instruments and clients in more than 150 countries, with no comparator provided. The company was founded in 2021 and is described as comprising several multi-regulated investment and financial services entities.
The players
Rostro Group
A multi-regulated online trading group founded in 2021 that operates the Scope Markets and Scope Prime brands and serves clients in more than 150 countries.
British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission
The regulator that grants virtual-asset and financial-services licenses for firms operating from the British Virgin Islands.
The details
The registration was granted by the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission under the Virtual Assets Service Providers Act, 2022, which sets the licensing regime for firms that handle virtual assets. Rostro describes its structure as vertically integrated, combining brokerage, investment and technology functions, so the planned spot digital-asset brokerage and fiat-crypto on- and off-ramping would sit inside an existing trading stack. New digital-asset capabilities are planned for 2027 as part of the company's broader pipeline.
Timeline
Rostro Group was founded in 2021.
The Virtual Assets Service Providers Act, 2022 was enacted in 2022.
The VASP registration was announced on November 3, 2026.
New digital-asset capabilities are planned for 2027.
Market Landscape
The registration applies the Virtual Assets Service Providers Act, 2022, which the British Virgin Islands enacted to license virtual-asset firms. It shows traditional online brokers using that regime to add spot crypto brokerage and fiat on- and off-ramps alongside their existing instrument offerings.
Operators in online brokerage should watch whether licensed offshore crypto registrations become a common route for existing trading platforms to add digital-asset products. Compliance, custody and onboarding teams should map the licensing requirements that apply before any new virtual-asset service is offered to clients.
The takeaway
Regulatory approval is the first gate, not the last, so firms weighing a similar move should map licensing, custody and client-onboarding obligations under the relevant virtual-asset regime before committing to a launch date. Track whether Rostro's planned 2027 digital-asset rollout actually goes live as a signal of how quickly licensed brokers convert registrations into products.
Further reading
For more on how brokers are bringing digital assets into traditional trading, see Financial Services.
