You run an exchange serving the United Arab Emirates. Registration, staking treatment and transfer-information rules set the shape of your compliance year.
Information, not advice
This page is information, not legal advice about your matter. A retainer begins only when a lawyer confirms it.
Start here
Know which rules already apply to you, before you add anything new
Every activity you offer needs its own permission from VARA or your free zone regulator. Knowing what you already hold comes before adding to it.
What to work through, in order
Registration and licensing
VARA licensing for exchange activity in Dubai outside the financial free zones, or DFSA and ADGM FSRA authorisation inside them. Each has distinct categories covering broker-dealer, custody and exchange operation.
Staking, lending and yield
VARA’s rulebooks treat staking and lending as distinct regulated activities requiring specific permissions. Offering them without the matching activity endorsement is a licensing breach rather than a disclosure issue.
Transfer information and record keeping
Federal AML law and VARA rules apply travel rule obligations, and the UAE’s FATF follow-up has kept the emphasis on demonstrable effectiveness rather than written policy alone.
Next steps
What happens if you go ahead
Scoping call
Written scope and fixed-fee quote
Engagement, once a lawyer confirms
Who would handle it
Offices
Dubai
DMCC Crypto Centre, 12th Floor, Uptown Tower, Dubai