National Supervisory Authority & Licensing Qualification Dossier • Latin America & Africa
CNAD
El SalvadorComisión Nacional de Activos Digitales
Source / Native Reference: 萨尔瓦多国家数字资产委员会
- Supervisory tier
- Tier-3
- License classes
- 2
- Licensed records
- 3
- Active / regulated
- 3
Statutory Supervisory Mandate & Scope
Comisión Nacional de Activos Digitales (CNAD) is the Tier-3 statutory financial markets and securities supervisory authority in Global / Multilateral. It grants and supervises financial services licences across broker-dealers, investment advisers, asset managers, and market operators, enforcing initial and ongoing prudential capital requirements, segregated client asset rules, market conduct standards, and public register disclosures.
Prudential Tier Assessment
Tier-3Tier-3 national capital markets, securities, and derivatives supervisory authority in El Salvador, IOSCO member standards-aligned.
National licensing qualifications & statutory authorisation classes (CNAD)
Authorisation categories, permitted institutional and retail activities, minimum initial capital adequacy, and ongoing prudential solvency rules enforced by CNAD in El Salvador.
| License class / code | Official designation | Permitted institutional & retail activities | Minimum initial / base capital | Ongoing prudential & solvency rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 / Principal Broker-Dealer | Full-Scope Securities & Derivatives Dealer (Market Maker / Principal) | Dealing as principal or market maker in securities, FX, CFDs, futures, options, and underwriting. | USD $150,000 – $500,000 equivalent minimum paid-up capital | Risk-weighted capital adequacy + minimum liquid capital buffer ≥ 25% of annual fixed overheads. |
| Category 2 / Agency Broker & Asset Manager | Securities Brokerage (Agency / STP) & Discretionary Portfolio Management Licence | Order execution, reception and transmission of client orders, discretionary portfolio management, and investment advisory. | USD $75,000 – $150,000 equivalent minimum paid-up capital | Strict client money segregation, best-execution monitoring, and quarterly regulatory financial returns. |
Investor compensation, client money segregation & digital-asset regime
Statutory counterparty protections, custody reconciliation mandates, and virtual-asset licensing status under CNAD.
National Investor Protection / Compensation Scheme (El Salvador)
- Maximum coverage per client
- Subject to statutory national investor protection fund limits and segregated trust priority
- Eligible counterparties & scope
- Retail clients of licensed securities and investment brokerage firms.
CNAD Client Money & Safe Custody Segregation Rules
- Reconciliation & audit cadence
- Daily reconciliation of segregated client trust bank accounts against client trading ledger balances.
- Approved custodian requirements
- Client funds and securities must be held in bankruptcy-remote statutory trust accounts at licensed commercial banks or central securities depositories.
CNAD Digital Asset / Tokenized Securities & VASP Regulatory Framework
- Travel Rule, custody & stablecoin rules
- FATF Recommendation 16 Travel Rule enforcement and institutional qualified custody standards.
Primary Governing Statutes & Rulebooks
- Securities and Capital Markets Act of El Salvador
- CNAD Licensing, Prudential Capital Adequacy & Conduct of Business Rules
- Client Money & Custody Asset Segregation Regulations (El Salvador)
- IOSCO Principles of Securities Regulation & National AML/CFT Rulebook
Regulatory Reporting & Audit Obligations
Quarterly capital adequacy returns and annual IFRS audited financial statements submitted to CNADAnnual independent auditor attestation on Client Money and Safe Custody complianceTransaction reporting, market abuse surveillance (MAR), and AML/CFT suspicious activity reporting
Cross-Border Equivalence & Passporting
Operates under El Salvador national jurisdiction and IOSCO MMoU cross-border supervisory cooperation.
Supervised institutions & CNAD licence records in our database
3 licence records referencing CNAD (3 regulated/registered).
| Institution | Licence number | Status | Licensed legal entity | Effective date | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAM(Global network record) | PSDA/001-2003 / 648c5c0751164005aa47d43a | Regulated | Binance El Salvador S.A. de C.V. | — | |
| BITFINEX(Global network record) | Number pending check | Regulated | BITFINEX | — | |
| IBEX(Global network record) | PSAD-0004 | Regulated | Ibex Mercado S.A DE C.V | 2023-10-24 |
CNAD (El Salvador): institutional licensing & due diligence FAQ
Key statutory capital, compensation, custody segregation, and verification answers for compliance teams.
What are the primary licensing classes and minimum capital requirements under CNAD (El Salvador)?
CNAD (Comisión Nacional de Activos Digitales) supervises financial institutions in El Salvador under Securities and Capital Markets Act of El Salvador and CNAD Licensing, Prudential Capital Adequacy & Conduct of Business Rules. Key statutory authorisation classes include: Category 1 / Principal Broker-Dealer (Full-Scope Securities & Derivatives Dealer (Market Maker / Principal) — min. capital: USD $150,000 – $500,000 equivalent minimum paid-up capital); Category 2 / Agency Broker & Asset Manager (Securities Brokerage (Agency / STP) & Discretionary Portfolio Management Licence — min. capital: USD $75,000 – $150,000 equivalent minimum paid-up capital). Ongoing prudential supervision requires strict adherence to capital adequacy and liquidity buffers.
Does CNAD provide statutory investor compensation and mandatory client asset segregation?
Under CNAD's framework, investor protection is governed by National Investor Protection / Compensation Scheme (El Salvador) with maximum coverage of Subject to statutory national investor protection fund limits and segregated trust priority (Retail clients of licensed securities and investment brokerage firms.). For client money and custody assets, supervised firms must comply with CNAD Client Money & Safe Custody Segregation Rules, performing daily reconciliation of segregated client trust bank accounts against client trading ledger balances. with client funds and securities must be held in bankruptcy-remote statutory trust accounts at licensed commercial banks or central securities depositories..
How does CNAD regulate digital assets, crypto exchanges (VASPs/CASPs), and stablecoins?
CNAD's digital-asset regime is structured around CNAD Digital Asset / Tokenized Securities & VASP Regulatory Framework (Regulates security tokens, crypto derivatives, and licensed digital asset intermediaries in El Salvador.). Custody and AML/CFT compliance obligations require: FATF Recommendation 16 Travel Rule enforcement and institutional qualified custody standards.
How can I verify an institution's CNAD licence number and check our 3 recorded licence entries?
Our database currently tracks 3 licence records referencing CNAD (3 marked regulated or registered). To verify a counterparty at the primary source, open CNAD's official public register (https://cnad.gob.sv/es/registro-publico/), search by the exact reference number and legal entity name, and confirm that the firm's domain and permitted activities match its statutory authorisation.
Related regulatory & market structure briefings
Research and compliance analysis from FinLexicon Wiki relevant to CNAD and El Salvador.
Statutory Law & Custody Architecture
Statutory Client Asset Segregation & Insolvency Waterfalls: Comparative Legal Architecture of FCA CASS 7, SEC Rule 15c3-3, SIPA, and EU MiFID II Custody Regimes (2026)
A definitive statutory and insolvency-law reference comparing UK FCA CASS 7 statutory trusts, US SEC Rule 15c3-3 customer reserve formulas and SIPA liquidations, EU MiFID II Article 16(8)-(10) title-transfer prohibitions, and Japanese FIEA Article 43-2 trust bank mandates.
Derivatives Margin & Prudential Regulation
ISDA 2026 SIMM Risk Weights, Uncleared Margin Rules (UMR) Thresholds & VM/IM Collateral Eligibility
ISDA Standard Initial Margin Model (SIMM) refers to a parametric, sensitivity-based methodology calibrated across a 10-day margin period of risk (MPOR) at a 99% confidence interval to calculate regulatory initial margin for non-centrally cleared over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives under BCBS-IOSCO Uncleared Margin Rules (UMR).
Prudential Regulation & Capital Standards
Expanded Risk-Based Approach (ERBA) Basel III Endgame Standard: Statutory Definition, Regulatory Scope & Compliance Deadlines (-4.8% Cat I/II CET1 Change Benchmark)
Expanded Risk-Based Approach (ERBA) Basel III Endgame Standard (BASEL-ERBA-2026) stands at -4.8% (Cat I/II CET1 Change) (Source: Federal Reserve / OCC / FDIC, 2026-10-20), governing exact rule citations, covered entities
Market Microstructure & Derivatives Taxonomy
Expanded Risk-Based Approach (ERBA) Basel III Endgame Standard: Balance-Sheet Netting Mechanics & RWA Capital Weight Calculation (-4.8% Cat I/II CET1 Change Benchmark)
Expanded Risk-Based Approach (ERBA) Basel III Endgame Standard (BASEL-ERBA-2026) stands at -4.8% (Cat I/II CET1 Change) (Source: Federal Reserve / OCC / FDIC, 2026-10-20), governing multilateral netting compression and T
Statutory licensing classes, base capital rules, and investor protection summaries for CNAD (El Salvador) are maintained for institutional benchmarking and do not constitute legal advice. Always verify current rulebooks and active firm authorisations directly on CNAD’s official public register.