FilingsRecord
Dubai virtual assets regulator licenses 20 firms in 2025
Total licensed crypto operators in Dubai reaches 60, with 23 additional firms holding preliminary approval.
Dubai's virtual assets regulator has licensed 20 firms in 2025, bringing the total number of licensed crypto operators in the emirate to 60. A further 23 firms currently hold preliminary approval, according to industry data published this year.
Licensed operator count reaches 60#
The regulator has now granted full licences to 60 virtual asset service providers operating in Dubai. The 20 licences issued in 2025 represent the approvals granted during the current calendar year. Each licensed firm is authorised to conduct virtual asset activities under the regulatory framework governing the sector in the emirate.
Preliminary approval pipeline holds 23 firms#
Twenty-three firms are currently operating under preliminary approval status. Preliminary approval permits a firm to begin certain activities while its full licence application is assessed. The regulator has not disclosed the timeline for converting preliminary approvals to full licences, nor the criteria each applicant must meet to complete the process.
Licensing activity in 2025#
The 20 licences granted in 2025 bring the total from 40 at the end of 2024 to the current 60. The regulator has not published a breakdown of the types of virtual asset services the newly licensed firms provide, nor the jurisdictions from which the applicants originated. The preliminary approval count of 23 indicates the number of firms currently in the pipeline awaiting full authorisation.
Regulatory framework and compliance obligations#
Licensed virtual asset service providers in Dubai must comply with the regulatory requirements set by the virtual assets regulator. These include capital adequacy standards, anti-money laundering controls, customer due diligence procedures and reporting obligations. The regulator publishes the full list of compliance requirements in its rulebook, available on its official website. Firms holding preliminary approval are subject to a subset of these obligations during the assessment period.
Sources1 source across 1 domain
- arabianbusiness.comArabian BusinessDubai's virtual assets regulator licensed 20 firms in 2025, total licensed firms now 60, 23 firms hold preliminary approval
Each source above carries the claim it supports. Links open the publisher's own page; their text is not reproduced here beyond what the claim requires, and their rights remain theirs.
Investor Arabia is published by Arabian Media Network. Pieces are produced by the Filings Desk with AI-assisted synthesis of the cited sources and automated verification against the network's editorial policy. Every piece carries a desk rather than a reporter. Corrections are recorded on the piece and on the corrections page.