Virtual Asset Broker-Dealer 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

Acts both as broker executing client orders and as principal dealer taking positions in virtual assets, subject to capital-adequacy rules.

Regulatory requirements

Requires external approval — Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) (Dubai) / Securities & Commodities Authority (SCA) (other Emirates) & Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE)

100% foreign ownershipYes

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

Market Analysis

The "Broker-Dealer" phrasing here is VARA's own official category name — arguably the cleanest match among the four broker/brokerage-related codes in this dataset (alongside Cryptocurrency Brokerage, Digital Asset Brokerage, and Virtual Asset Brokerage). Same cost structure across all four: AED 100,000 application, AED 200,000/year supervision, roughly AED 400,000-600,000 capital.

Given how directly this activity name mirrors VARA's terminology, it may be the more useful "canonical" entry for this dataset to surface first, with the other three flagged as DED naming variants of the same license — similar to the pattern in the exchange and custody clusters above.

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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