Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has secured full regulatory approval from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. The licence permits the platform to prepare services for retail, professional, and institutional investors in the UAE, including direct dirham trading and deposits. Payward expects to roll out local operations in the coming weeks following preliminary approval received in May.
Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired a meeting of Dubai's Higher Committee for the Development of the Economic and Financial Sector to review key economic metrics. Dubai secured first place globally in FinTech in the September 2026 Global Financial Centres Index, while Dubai Financial Market capitalisation reached Dhs993.1 billion by the end of Q3 2026. Physical gold trading across the UAE reached 2,750 tonnes, highlighting Dubai's role as a trading conduit connecting global supply with demand markets including China.
The Dubai Business Associates programme has welcomed 23 professionals from 15 countries for its 12th cohort after receiving 14,600 applications globally. Participants, who include graduates from China's Tsinghua and Peking universities, will complete nine months of business placements and consulting projects across key Dubai public and private sector organisations. The programme is run under Falcon and Associates and has built a network of 350 alumni across 11 previous cohorts.
The UAE Financial Intelligence Unit and Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate anti-money laundering enforcement. The agreement establishes formal channels for exchanging supervisory data, intelligence, and regulatory insight on virtual asset service providers. It aims to strengthen compliance supervision across Dubai's mainland, free zones, and special development zones.
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