UAE — crypto regulation

Status: legal · Last reviewed 2026-11-05

Multi-layered regulation: VARA (Dubai), ADGM/FSRA (Abu Dhabi), DFSA (DIFC), the federal Capital Market Authority (CMA, replaced SCA Jan 2026) and the Central Bank (CBUAE). The CMA's Virtual Assets Framework (Decision No. 4/R.M/2026, effective Feb 2026, publicly launched Apr 2026) expands federally regulated activities from three to eight, and a June 2026 CMA resolution lets banks, exchange houses and payment firms run CMA-licensed virtual asset activity inside their existing CBUAE-licensed entity. CBUAE's Payment Token Services Regulation governs dirham stablecoins; the bank-backed DDSC was cleared for retail use on VARA-regulated exchanges in Jul 2026. ADGM finalised a staking framework in Apr 2026, and VARA fined KuCoin, MEXC and CoinMENA in Jun 2026.

Legislation

• CMA Resolution No. (16/Chairman) of 2026 — CBUAE Licensees May Conduct Virtual Asset Activities (2026)
• ADGM FSRA Staking of Virtual Assets Framework (2026)
• Dubai Law No. 4 of 2022 — VARA Establishment (2022)
• VARA Rulebooks — 13 Compulsory & Activity-Specific (2023)
• ADGM DLT Foundations Regulations (2023)
• CBUAE Payment Token Services Regulation (2024)
• ADGM FSRA Digital Asset Framework Amendments (2025)
• Federal Decree Law No. 6 of 2025 — Banking & Financial Institutions (2025)
• CMA Decision No. 4/R.M/2026 — Federal VASP Licensing Framework (2026)