Offshore Bank for Sale 2025

Offshore Bank for Sale 2025

International and Offshore Banks for Sale – Purchasing an offshore bank

Buying an International Bank in Puerto Rico – 2025 Market and Regulatory Guide

Puerto Rico continues to lead the global offshore banking market—and in 2025, buying an existing international bank has never made more sense.

Over the past few years, regulators have raised the bar on new license applications. The process is more selective, capital requirements have doubled, and compliance expectations are higher. At the same time, acquiring a licensed bank already operating under Act 273 remains not only viable—but often preferable.

This article will walk you through the current costs, benefits, and regulatory considerations of buying an international financial entity (IFE) in Puerto Rico in 2025.

Why Buy Instead of Build?

Let’s start with the basics: both buying and building a bank from scratch require OCIF (Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions) approval. You’ll go through the same background checks, due diligence, and licensing compliance either way. However, buying a bank fast-tracks your launch timeline by at least 9 to 14 months, and in many cases, dramatically reduces startup costs and operational delays.

Factor

Start a New Bank

Buy an Existing Bank

Licensing Time

12 to 18 months from start to launch

3 to 4 months with Change of Control

Startup Capital

$12 million required up front

Start with $5M paid-in, increase over time

Staff and Buildout

Must be built from zero

Already in place or partially staffed

Competition

Compete with others for limited licenses

No competition—private deal with seller

Fedwire Access

Long application process post-licensing

Often already in place with seller’s bank

Cost to Acquire a Bank in Puerto Rico (2025)

In today’s market, a clean and licensed—but non-operating—bank sells for around $5 million, not including capital. Operational banks range from $5 million to $55 million, depending on:

Remember: this acquisition cost does not include the capital required to operate the bank. You’ll need to have $5 million paid-in at the time of purchase and increase to $10 million over time as agreed with OCIF.

Capital Advantage: Buy Now, Grow Later

Starting a bank today means having $12 million in cash ready to go: $10 million paid-in capital, $1 million unencumbered (CD), and a $1 million startup budget. But if you buy a licensed IFE, especially one with regulatory goodwill, you inherit its original terms.

That means you can buy today with $5 million in paid-in capital and increase your capital base over a few years—subject to regulator approval. This makes acquisition the most efficient capital strategy available in Puerto Rico’s IFE sector.

Less Competition, Faster Approvals

Puerto Rico typically approves only two or three new IFE licenses per year, making the new license process highly competitive. If you’re applying for a new license, you’re directly competing with other applicants. Regulators will take their time and only approve the best capitalized and most experienced applicants.

When buying an existing bank, you’re not competing with anyone. So long as you meet the regulatory requirements—background checks, source of funds, and financial statements—you’ll be approved. And you won’t wait a year to start. Once OCIF approves the Change of Control, you’re ready to operate.

Tax and Banking Benefits

All IFEs in Puerto Rico benefit from the same unparalleled advantages:

Puerto Rico is the only jurisdiction in the world where you can operate an international bank within the U.S. banking system—without U.S. federal tax.

How We Help

At Aviara Advisors, we help clients source, evaluate, and acquire clean international banks in Puerto Rico. Whether you’re looking for a license-only structure, an operating institution, or a bank with Fedwire and core systems already in place, we can guide you through:

Ready to Move?

There are only a handful of clean, ready-to-buy banks available in any given year. And while there are currently nine new license applications pending, most will not be approved. The fastest path to market, and the most strategic use of capital, is through acquisition. For more information, contact us at info@banklicense.pro.

Contact us today at info@banklicense.pro to start the conversation. We’ll help you purchase a licensed international bank and take it live in just a few months.