VA Exchange Services License UAE

ISIC classification: Administration of financial markets (6611)

Typically requires Designated Zone status for VAT purposes

About this activity

Provides regulated exchange services allowing users to convert between virtual assets and fiat currency on a licensed trading venue.

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

"VA Exchange Services" is notable in this cluster because its wording matches VARA's own official category name almost exactly — unlike "Centralised Exchange Operator" or "Digital Asset Market Operator," which are DED paraphrases of the same thing. If choosing which of the eleven exchange-related codes in this dataset to reference on an application, this one arguably maps most cleanly onto what VARA will actually ask about.

Same cost structure applies regardless: AED 100,000 VARA application fee, AED 200,000/year supervision fee, and capital requirements of AED 800,000-1,500,000 depending on the custody model chosen. Dubai is the only practical base.

100% foreign ownership applies. Given how directly this activity name mirrors VARA's own terminology, this may be a useful "canonical" entry to point users toward instead of the ten more loosely-worded exchange variants elsewhere in this dataset — worth a product decision on whether to keep all eleven as separate browsable entries or consolidate them with a note.

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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