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Comoros officials have moved to expose a growing scheme in which companies continue to sell gambling and financial licenses under the name of Anjouan, despite having no legal authority to do so.
Regulators warn that these documents carry no weight, warning that the entities behind them operate without recognition from the state.
At the center of the controversy is the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA), a body created in the 1990s when the island briefly separated politically from the Union. Although national banking laws passed in 2013 and 2015 stripped AOFA of its powers, the group still maintains an online registry listing banks, insurers, and gambling operators as if they were officially licensed.
Several firms are tied to this network. Anjouan Corporate Services acts as AOFA’s agent, while Anjouan Licensing Services, launched in 2023, claims to issue gambling permits through the so‑called Anjouan Gaming Control Board.
Over 1,300 licenses issued
The Anjouan Gaming Control Board alone says it has handed out more than 1,300 licences, each priced at around €17,000 annually. Fast Offshore, a consultancy based in Costa Rica, has also promoted Anjouan as a cheap and easy option for operators seeking approval.
The licences are marketed online with promises of quick approval and no taxes. Applicants pay fees and submit forms digitally, receiving documents that appear official but rely on outdated laws from 2005. The process avoids proper checks, allowing gambling sites to present themselves as regulated when they are not.
The Comoros Central Bank has repeatedly stressed that AOFA and its affiliates have “no physical or legal existence” in the country. Officials warn that consumers face serious risks, including loss of funds and lack of protection in disputes.
The impact has spread beyond Comoros. Last December, the Australian Broadcasting Company released a report detailing the rise of fake licenses and operators in the iGaming industry linked to Anjouan.
