Crypto Liquidity Provider License UAE

ISIC classification: Other activities auxiliary to financial service activities (6619)

Typically requires Designated Zone status for VAT purposes

About this activity

Supplies buy- and sell-side liquidity to virtual asset exchanges and trading venues by continuously quoting prices across multiple trading pairs.

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

Providing liquidity to exchanges or DeFi protocols with the firm's own capital (not client funds) is generally proprietary trading rather than a client-facing VARA service — a materially lighter regulatory picture than the exchange, custody, or lending categories covered elsewhere in this dataset, since VARA's framework centers on services provided *to clients*, not a firm's own trading activity.

If instead this describes managing liquidity provision *on behalf of* third-party clients (their capital, the firm's strategy), that shifts toward VARA's Management and Investment Services category — AED 100,000 application, AED 200,000/year supervision.

The distinction between "our own capital" and "client capital we manage" is the deciding factor here, same pattern seen across several other codes in this Virtual Assets category (staking, DeFi, wallet custody).

100% foreign ownership applies either way.

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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