Every UAE crypto &
financial services licensee.
The free, public, monthly-updated reference of every entity licensed across the United Arab Emirates' five financial regulators — VARA (Dubai virtual assets), ADGM (FSRA), DIFC (DFSA), CMA (SCA), and CBUAE. Compiled from official regulator public registers. Searchable, filterable, fully sourced.
| Company | Licence categories | Status | Free zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoinCorner Virtual Assets Broker & Dealer Services L.L.C. | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| First Crypto Exchange L.L.C | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Liquidity Fintech FZE | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Daman Virtual Asset Brokerage LLC | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Amber Premium FZE | Broker-Dealer, Management & Investment, Lending & Borrowing | Active | — |
| RIV Technologies FZE | Advisory | Active | — |
| XBase Virtual Assets Broker & Dealer Services LLC | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Animoca Brands Middle East Advisory FZCO | Management & Investment, Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Nova Digital FZE | Management & Investment | Active | — |
| LCT Global FZE | Exchange | Active | — |
| Ceffu Custody FZE | Custody | Active | — |
| Selini Capital FZE | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| BitGo MENA FZE | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Ctrl Alt Solutions DMCC | Broker-Dealer, Category 1 VA Issuance | Active | DMCC |
| Prypco FZE | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Midchains FZE | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Gate Technology FZE | Exchange | Active | — |
| BitGo Custody MENA FZE | Custody (incl. custodial staking) | Active | — |
| Bitpanda Custody MENA DMCC | Custody (incl. custodial staking) | Active | DMCC |
| Atremo Digital FZE | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| MKX Virtual Assets Broker & Dealer Services L.L.C. | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| DKK Digital FZE | Broker-Dealer, Advisory | Active | — |
| Hashkey MENA FZE | Broker-Dealer, Exchange | Active | — |
| Gap 3 Partners FZCO | Advisory | Active | — |
| Bitpanda Broker MENA DMCC | Broker-Dealer | Active | DMCC |
| Mantra Finance FZE | Exchange, Broker-Dealer, Management & Investment | Active | — |
| Tokinvest DMCC | Broker-Dealer, Category 1 VA Issuance | Active | DMCC |
| OFZA Fintech Virtual Asset Exchange Services LLC | Exchange, Broker-Dealer, Management & Investment | Active | — |
| Zand Bank P.J.S.C. | Custody | Active | — |
| BitOasis Technologies FZE | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Deribit FZE | Exchange (incl. VA Derivatives Trading) | Active | — |
| OKX Middle East Fintech FZE | Lending & Borrowing, Management & Investment, Exchange, Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Aquanow ME FZE | Broker-Dealer, Management & Investment, Lending & Borrowing | Active | — |
| Varni Labs FZE (Roma) | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| MBIO FZE (MB.IO) | Broker-Dealer, Exchange | Active | — |
| HT Markets MENA FZE | Broker-Dealer, Management & Investment | Active | — |
| Binance FZE | Broker-Dealer, Management & Investment, Lending & Borrowing, Exchange | Active | — |
| Foris DAX Middle East FZE (Crypto.com) | Broker-Dealer, Management & Investment, Lending & Borrowing, Exchange | Active | — |
| Web 3 Innovations FZE (AYA) | Management & Investment | Active | — |
| Fasset FZE | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| CoinMENA FZE | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Nine Blocks Capital Management FZE | Management & Investment | Active | — |
| GC Exchange FZE (GCEX) | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Morpheus Software Technology FZE (FUZE) | Broker-Dealer | Active | — |
| Hex Trust MENA FZE | Custody | Active | — |
| Trek Labs Ltd FZE (Backpack) | Exchange | Active | — |
| Scintilla Network FZE | Broker-Dealer, Exchange | Active | — |
| Komainu MEA FZE | Custody (incl. custodial staking, collateral wallet) | Active | — |
| Laser Digital Middle East FZE | Broker-Dealer, Management & Investment | Active | — |
Each licence category corresponds to a specific activity authorised under the VARA Rulebooks. Read our analysis of the VARA issuance rulebook, or our practitioner's guide to Category 1 ARVA tokens.
- The FSRA virtual asset framework is one of the world's earliest crypto regulatory regimes (operational since 2018). It authorises Multilateral Trading Facilities (MTFs), Custody, Investment Management and other categories under ADGM's Financial Services and Markets Regulations.
- Major active licensees include Matrix (MTF), Hex Trust (custody), Komainu, Standard Chartered's Zodia Custody, M2 Exchange, MidChains (MTF), and several institutional broker-dealers.
- The ADGM RegLab (regulatory sandbox, est. 2016) hosts a separate cohort of testing-phase firms.
- Full enumerated licensee list — added in the next monthly update cycle.
For practitioner-level analysis of ADGM's framework, see our FSRA fund manager licensing guide, FSRA RegLab analysis, and ADGM Exempt Fund framework.
- The DFSA's Recognised Crypto Tokens regime (formalised 2022, refined June 2024) currently approves a small set of tokens — including BTC, ETH and approved stablecoins — for use by DFSA-authorised firms.
- The DFSA Tokenisation Regulatory Sandbox (launched March 2025) admitted firms from a 96-applicant cohort for live testing of tokenised investments.
- DFSA Cat 3C, Cat 3D, Cat 4 and the new ITL pathway are tracked separately under broader DIFC authorised-firm categories.
- Full enumerated licensee list — added in the next monthly update cycle.
For practitioner-level analysis, see our DFSA Tokenisation Sandbox guide and DFSA ITL pathway.
- The federal Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA, also known as CMA) regulates virtual asset activity in the UAE outside DIFC and ADGM, complementing VARA in Dubai.
- SCA's Virtual Assets Regulations (Cabinet Decision 111/2022) cover entities providing virtual asset services on the federal level.
- Active SCA-licensed firms include institutional managers and several broker-dealer hybrids operating across the UAE mainland.
- Full enumerated licensee list — added in the next monthly update cycle.
For practitioner-level analysis, see our CMA virtual asset regulations guide.
| Issuer / Operator | Token / Activity | Currency | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED Stablecoin LLC | AE Coin — AED-denominated payment token | AED | Active — first AED stablecoin (2024) |
| Universal Digital | USDU — USD-backed stablecoin (Foreign Payment Token) | USD | Active — first UAE-registered USD stablecoin (2025) |
PTSR was issued by the Central Bank of the UAE on 7 June 2024 and took effect on 6 July 2024. The regulation covers Payment Token Issuance, Payment Token Conversion, and Payment Token Custody.
For practitioner-level analysis, see our CBUAE PTSR guide and CBUAE SVF Regulation (Notice 5/2020) analysis.
Methodology & scope.
This tracker aggregates publicly-available licensing data from the United Arab Emirates' five financial regulators. Sources are listed for each section. Data is reviewed and updated on a monthly cycle.
What's tracked:
- VARA — every entity holding a full virtual asset licence or in-principle approval, with licence categories and Dubai free-zone hosting where disclosed.
- ADGM (FSRA) — entities holding Financial Services Permissions in the virtual asset framework (custody, MTF, broker-dealer, investment manager), plus RegLab cohort participants.
- DIFC (DFSA) — recognised crypto tokens, Tokenisation Regulatory Sandbox cohort, Cat 3C and Cat 3D fund-management and money-services licensees.
- CMA / SCA — federal-level virtual asset licensees under Cabinet Decision 111/2022.
- CBUAE — Payment Token Issuers, SVF operators, Retail Payment Service Providers under the federal payment regulatory framework.
What's not tracked: private regulator engagements, in-flight applications that have not been publicly announced, suspended entities (separate tab planned for Q3 2026), and entities operating under exemptions rather than full licensing.
How to suggest corrections: email admin@neolegal.ae with the suggested change and source. Verified corrections are integrated in the next monthly update.
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