[REVISION HISTORY]

Dubai VARA digital asset licensing

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-13 20:42 UTC → 2026-08-17 21:07 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has issued several broker-dealer licenses to digital asset firms to expand regulated services in the UAE. On August 10, Flowdesk Omega FZE, a Dubai-based subsidiary of the French firm Flowdesk, received a full broker-dealer license. This authorization enables the firm to provide regulated services to institutional and qualified investors in Dubai, following its previous compliance with the European Union’s MiCA framework. By August 12, VARA granted additional licenses to ARP Digital and Deribit. ARP Digital’s license allows for regulated digital asset and stablecoin conversion into local fiat currency, facilitating the movement of digital wealth into local assets. Deribit’s license permits the platform to route most spot orders to Coinbase Exchange for execution, providing clients with access to broader liquidity while maintaining its existing derivatives ecosystem. On August 17, further details emerged regarding Deribit’s regulatory status, noting that this marks its second approval from VARA in less than two years. The integration with Coinbase’s centralized order book is expected to allow Deribit to expand its offerings beyond Bitcoin and Ether derivatives, potentially introducing hundreds of additional assets. This move follows Coinbase’s August 2025 acquisition of Deribit for approximately $2.9 billion. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong stated that the approval demonstrates the UAE’s commitment to “embracing digital assets and modern finance.”

Versions

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.