What this is
Obtaining permission to carry on a virtual-asset activity in the UAE, from the regulator whose perimeter the activity actually falls in.
Where it starts
Not with a jurisdiction. With the activity. What the business does with client assets and client orders determines which perimeter it sits in, and that determines everything downstream — the regulator, the capital, the substance, the cost and the time.
A business that picks the zone first and asks the licensing question second has already constrained the answer, usually expensively.
What the work involves
Mapping the business model to the narrowest set of licensed activities that lawfully covers it. Choosing between VARA, the FSRA, the DFSA and the federal perimeter on the merits. Drafting the regulatory business plan and financial projections. Building the policy suite against the applicable rulebook rather than a template. Preparing the senior function holders. Then carrying the file through the questions that follow submission, which is where most of the elapsed time actually goes.
What we will tell you early
If the activity should be licensed somewhere other than where you assumed. If a category can be dropped. If the timeline you were quoted describes company formation rather than licensing. Those conversations are cheaper before the office is leased.
Regulators
Common questions
How long does a licence take?
For a full VARA VASP licence, six to twelve months is the honest range. Quotes of thirty to ninety days describe incorporation, not authorisation.
Can you guarantee the licence?
No, and nobody can. What we can do is present an application that answers the questions a regulator will ask before it asks them, and tell you honestly if the application is not ready.
Sources
- Scope of work described here reflects our practice, not a regulatory requirement — Regulatory statements on these pages carry the same review status as elsewhere on the site