How to check if a swap provider is licensed or registered in your country before you send

05 September 2026

Check the provider's own website for a license number, then verify that number against the official registry of the regulator that issued it. A claim on a website is not proof; the registry is the only part you can trust.

The reason this matters is simple. Money service businesses, including crypto swap providers, are often required to register with a financial authority. That registration gives you a legal hook if things go wrong. Without it, you are relying entirely on the provider's goodwill, and goodwill is not a regulatory remedy.

Start with the provider's site. Look for a footer link labelled "Legal", "Regulatory", or "Licences". Many legitimate providers list their registration there. But some list numbers that are fake, expired, or belong to a different company. So treat the site as a lead, not a conclusion.

Next, identify which regulator should have issued that license. This depends on where you live, not where the provider is based. A provider registered in one country may have no standing in yours. The relevant authorities are usually the ones that oversee financial services or anti-money-laundering compliance in your jurisdiction. For the European Union, that might be a national central bank or a financial markets authority. For the United States, it could be a state-level regulator or FinCEN. For the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority. For Canada, FINTRAC or a provincial regulator.

Once you have the name of the regulator, go to its official website. Most maintain a public register of licensed or registered firms. Search that register for the provider's name. If you find a match, check that the registration is current and covers the activity you are about to use. Some registrations are for one type of service, like currency exchange, and do not extend to crypto swaps.

A common trap is the "passporting" claim. Some providers say they are authorised in one EU country and therefore valid everywhere in the EU. That is sometimes true under EU rules, but not always. Verify the passport status on the actual regulator's site, not on the provider's marketing page.

Also check the regulator's own warnings list. Many publish alerts about unregistered firms. Search for the provider's name plus the word "warning" or "alert". If the provider appears there, stop. Do not send funds.

What if the provider says they are exempt from registration? Some jurisdictions exempt businesses that do not hold customer funds or that handle only small volumes. That exemption may be real, but it also means you have no regulator to complain to. You are back to trusting the provider's internal processes. That is a judgement call, but make it with your eyes open.

One more check: the provider's physical address and corporate structure. A registered provider usually lists a real office and a legal entity name. Cross-check that name against the registry. If the registry shows a different legal entity than the one on the deposit page, something is off.

Finally, note that registration is not a quality guarantee. It means the provider has filed paperwork and passed a basic vetting. It does not mean the swap will complete correctly or that the provider will treat you fairly. But it does give you a route to complain, and in some jurisdictions, a route to compensation.

If you have done all this and the provider is licensed, but you are still unsure about the mechanics of the swap itself, the hub page on swapping crypto safely covers the broader checklist of what to verify before any transfer. That page is the next thing to read after you have confirmed the license.

If the provider is not registered, or you cannot verify the claim, that is a strong signal to walk away. There are plenty of other swap providers. The ones that are not registered are not necessarily scams, but they are operating outside the system that exists to protect you. That is a risk you can choose to take, but you should take it knowing exactly what you are giving up.

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