Head-to-head
Mauritius Authorised Company (Mauritius): forms in 5–7 days from USD 1,900; privacy — filed but not public; strongest for Africa & India corridors. Treaty access and a respected regulator for africa-facing structures.
Cyprus Limited (Cyprus): forms in 5–8 days from EUR 2,100; privacy — public register; strongest for EU holding & IP. Eu membership with a 12.5% headline rate and wide treaty network.
Cost & speed verdict
On raw formation economics the comparison is USD 1,900 against EUR 2,100; renewals track similarly. On speed, Mauritius Authorised Company completes in 5–7 working days versus 5–8 for Cyprus Limited — in both cases your certified KYC pack is the real clock.
Banking & acceptance verdict
Counterparty and bank acceptance often decides this contest. Mauritius Authorised Company is the natural pick where the mandate is Africa & India corridors; Cyprus Limited wins where the file leans toward EU holding & IP. GoldenKey maintains a live acceptance map across UAE, Singapore and EMI compliance desks for both registries.
Our recommendation
Choose Mauritius Authorised Company when Africa & India corridors describes your plan; choose Cyprus Limited when EU holding & IP does. When neither fits cleanly, a UAE free-zone license or an ADGM SPV frequently beats both — we will tell you honestly in a free consultation.