Virtual Asset Brokerage License UAE

ISIC classification: Other financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding activities, n.e.c. (6499)

Typically requires Designated Zone status for VAT purposes

About this activity

Executes client buy and sell instructions for virtual assets, routing orders to exchanges or liquidity providers for a fee.

Regulatory requirements

Requires external approval — Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) (Dubai) / Securities & Commodities Authority (SCA) (other Emirates)

100% foreign ownershipYes

Facility requirementLicensed VARA/SCA-Compliant Office with Cybersecurity & Risk Controls

Market Analysis

Fourth and last of this dataset's broker/brokerage cluster (with Cryptocurrency Brokerage, Digital Asset Brokerage, and Virtual Asset Broker-Dealer) — all resolve to VARA's Broker-Dealer Services category: AED 100,000 application fee, AED 200,000/year supervision, roughly AED 400,000-600,000 in capital.

Practical note for this specific activity: broker-dealer applicants typically need a clear, VARA-reviewable explanation of order flow — whether client orders route to a specific exchange, are executed against the firm's own inventory, or both — since that distinction affects both the capital requirement and the conduct-of-business rules VARA applies post-licensing.

Dubai-only in practice; 100% foreign ownership applies.

Available in: . A detailed per-emirate fee breakdown isn't published for this activity yet — check back soon, or get a scored recommendation for your specific business below.

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