The UAE Financial Intelligence Unit and Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding on October 5 to enhance financial intelligence sharing. The agreement aims to strengthen joint efforts against virtual asset-related financial crime and cross-border risks. The initiative links regulatory supervision directly with financial intelligence analysis.
Dubai's over-the-counter crypto trading desks facilitate bilateral transactions for institutional clients, with transaction minimums typically starting around $100,000. Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority had issued approximately 50 crypto licenses by June 2026. The UAE applies a 0% personal tax on crypto gains, while crypto-to-crypto transfers remain VAT-exempt.
UAE legal consultancy Ape Law has updated its public UAE Virtual Asset Service Provider Licence Tracker using data collected on September 27, 2026. The tool indexes 116 authorisations across 115 distinct entities and 207 permission lines spanning five UAE regulatory regimes. It enables market participants to verify legal entities and permitted activities directly against official regulatory records.
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