Virtual Asset Exchange Operator License UAE

ISIC classification: Administration of financial markets (6611)

Typically requires Designated Zone status for VAT purposes

About this activity

Runs the trading engine, order book, and settlement systems that underpin a licensed virtual-asset exchange.

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 final entry in this dataset's eleven-code Exchange Services cluster — see Centralised Exchange Operator, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Digital Asset Exchange, VA Exchange Services, and Virtual Asset Exchange for the same underlying license covered from different naming angles. All eleven require VARA's Exchange Services approval: AED 100,000 application, AED 200,000/year supervision, AED 800,000-1,500,000 capital.

Given the sheer repetition across this cluster, the more useful product question for Mizan is probably not "which of these eleven is cheapest" (they're identical) but "does the platform need eleven separate entries for one regulatory outcome, or should these be presented as one activity with alternate DED naming." That's a data-modeling decision worth raising with whoever maintains this dataset, separate from the licensing facts themselves.

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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