CySEC has issued a procurement tender seeking external experts to help evaluate licence applications across a broad range of regulated entity types — including Cyprus Investment Firms (CIFs), which is the category under which most Cyprus-regulated forex and CFD brokers operate. The tender also covers crypto-asset service providers (CASPs), crowdfunding platforms, and fund managers.
For retail traders, the move signals that CySEC is scaling up its gatekeeping capacity rather than relaxing it. Outsourcing assessment work to specialist contractors suggests the regulator is dealing with a volume of applications — or a complexity of applications under MiCA and revised MiFID frameworks — that its in-house team cannot process at pace. Brokers awaiting CySEC authorisation may face longer or more rigorous scrutiny as a result. Traders choosing a CySEC-regulated broker should verify that the firm's licence is fully granted and active, not merely pending, since a larger queue of applicants does not mean a lower bar for approval.