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Oceania Common Law

Founders building licensed financial or crypto services, New Zealand

FMA registration covers AML/CFT for crypto exchanges and Financial Service Providers. EMI equivalent licensing exists with NZD 1M+ capital. No capital gains tax on most disposals; R&D Tax Incentive returns 15% as a credit.

FMA registrationR&D 15% creditNo CGT
Start setup {placement} 4 min · no card required
Corp tax
28%
Fastest setup
5 days
Tax treaties
40
Region
Oceania

What you'll need

  • Resident director required
  • Local registered office required
  • Economic-substance test applies
  • Minimum capital: No minimum capital
  • Administrative language: English
  • Legal system: Common law

Tax and treaty profile

  • Corporate tax 28%
  • Tax treaties 40
  • VAT rate 15%
  • Withholding on dividends 30%
Key treaty partners
AustraliaUSAUKJapanChinaSingapore

Banking and payments

  • Banking is straightforward
  • Stripe supported
  • Wise supported
  • Crypto banking available
  • EMI license framework available

Considerations

If tax optimisation matters more than reputation

Flat 28% CIT applies with no reduced regimes. Withholding on dividends to non resident shareholders runs to 30% without treaty relief. NZ is a credible HQ, not a tax driven structure.

28% flat CIT30% dividend WHTNo tax regimes