The Central Bank of Seychelles offers Treasury Bills with current maturities of 91, 182 and 365 days, and Treasury Bonds for longer-term income. Individuals, joint applicants and legal entities may participate, including residents and non-residents, if they have a Seychelles rupee account with a local bank. Treasury Bill bids start at SCR 5,000 and use multiples of SCR 5,000; tender notices set the applicable bidding terms. Bids are firm commitments, allotments may be partial or full, settlement occurs within a maximum of three working days after the auction, and maturity proceeds go to the nominated bank account. Direct secondary-market liquidity depends on the applicable Central Bank and Public Debt Management rules. Shares, debt instruments, exchange-traded products and derivatives may be accessed through a licensed market participant or approved automated trading system connected with MERJ Exchange. The domestic market is small, so diversified exposure to international securities and funds generally requires a licensed Securities Dealer, Investment Advisor or another properly authorised provider. The Financial Services Authority, under the Securities Act 2007 as amended in 2024, regulates relevant securities services. It also regulates mutual and hedge funds under the Mutual Fund and Hedge Fund Act 2008. Check the provider's licence type and current status in the FSA register before opening an account. Collective investment schemes can include private, public, professional and exempt funds. Review the prospectus or offer terms, issuer and auditor information, valuation method, redemption rules, custody arrangements, fees, conflicts of interest and the jurisdiction governing the assets. The Seychelles Pension Fund provides a mandatory defined-benefit pension and a voluntary contribution option. Voluntary contributions support retirement savings but do not function like a freely managed securities account, because the fund manages the assets institutionally and the contributor does not choose the asset allocation. The public SPF policy also refers to exposure to real estate, commodities and infrastructure, while private equity is institutional and no current SPF allocation to it is evidenced on the public page. Property can provide rental income or potential appreciation, but it involves title checks, valuation, transfer procedures, registration duties, restrictions and limited liquidity. Non-Seychellois owners currently face an annual immovable-property tax of 0.50% of market value, generally due by 31 December; commercial and industrial property is exempt, and a first-year residential-property exemption may be available on application. The Registrar General and the Ministry of Land Use and Housing are relevant to property transfer and valuation matters. Virtual assets are regulated through the VASP Act 2024 and implementing regulations issued on 6 September 2024, with the regime in force from 1 September 2024. Use only a licensed or registered exchange, wallet, broker or investment adviser within the authorised scope, and assess theft, platform failure, cyber risk, withdrawal restrictions and regulatory risk. Investment costs can include commissions, spreads, custody charges, platform fees, fund expenses, currency conversion and product-specific charges. FSA licence fees apply to providers rather than serving as a standard retail transaction tariff; for example, a Securities Dealer or company Investment Advisor has a listed application fee of US$1,500 and annual fee of US$3,000. The current Seychelles Revenue Commission table lists withholding tax of 15% on dividends and interest paid to non-residents and 5% on interest from current, fixed or call deposits, while selected savings and bank-interest cases show 0%; a double-tax agreement or investment structure may change the result. The current SRC material does not conclusively resolve every capital-gains treatment, so tax advice is appropriate for a specific transaction. Compare market, issuer, interest-rate, currency, inflation, liquidity, concentration, counterparty, custody, cyber, legal and tax risks before committing money. SCR-based investors face foreign-exchange risk when holding USD, EUR or other international assets. Seychelles has no general investor-compensation finding in the reviewed official material, and the FSA does not accept liability for dealings with unauthorised entities. Guaranteed returns, pressure to deposit quickly, withdrawal fees, cloned FSA websites and providers registered only as IBCs without securities or VASP authorisation are warning signs. A Seychelles licence does not automatically authorise a provider to serve investors in another country. Licensees should receive complaints first and have up to 21 business days to respond before escalation to the FSA. Complaints may be made in English, Creole or French, and an appeal against an FSA decision generally must reach the FSA Appeals Board within 90 days. Investment advice should come from an FSA-licensed Investment Advisor or a provider with relevant foreign authorisation. Banking accounts and payment services are infrastructure for investing, while consumer debt, ordinary savings and non-investment insurance belong to different subject areas.
Investing in Seychelles
Investing in Seychelles means committing capital to assets such as government securities, company shares, funds, property, pension savings or digital assets to seek income, growth, preservation of value or long-term wealth transfer. Formal options include Central Bank of Seychelles Treasury Bills and Treasury Bonds, securities traded through MERJ Exchange, regulated funds, Seychelles Pension Fund contributions, property and licensed virtual-asset services. Access, liquidity, tax treatment and risk depend on the asset, provider, investor status and currency.
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