Blab Crypto
NeosLegal Launches UAE VASP License Tracker, Cataloguing 100 Active Crypto Licences Across Five Regulators
On 17 June 2026, NeosLegal—the United Arab Emirates’ first crypto‑native law firm—unveiled the UAE VASP License Tracker 2026, a free, publicly accessible database that lists every active virtual asset service provider (VASP) licence issued in the country. The new tool immediately catalogued 100 firms holding active licences, providing instant visibility into the UAE’s fragmented regulatory landscape.
The tracker pulls data from five distinct authorities that oversee digital‑asset activity: Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), Abu Dhabi’s Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and its Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and its Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), and the federal Capital Market Authority (CMA). NeosLegal verifies each entry and updates the database monthly.
What makes the UAE unique is the coexistence of five separate regimes for VASPs. VARA regulates activity in Dubai outside the DIFC; ADGM/FSRA governs the Abu Dhabi free zone; DIFC/DFSA covers the Dubai free zone; CBUAE offers a banking‑sector framework; and the CMA oversees federal markets. Founder Irina Heaver noted that “the availability of multiple regimes gives founders one option in a single regime, the UAE gives you five, plus a doorway to the Global South.”
The launch comes against a backdrop of tightening crypto regulation in Europe. The Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) regulation has become a single EU regime with high capital and compliance requirements, while the United Kingdom and Switzerland maintain separate frameworks. Several European firms are relocating to the UAE to benefit from regulatory flexibility and access to fast‑growing markets in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.
Already, firms such as Vienna‑based Bitpanda (holding a VARA broker‑dealer licence), London‑based Zodia Markets (backed by Standard Chartered and licensed in ADGM), and Amsterdam‑founded Deribit (which moved its global headquarters to Dubai) operate under the UAE’s licences. ADGM introduced the country’s first virtual‑asset framework in 2018 and has issued 14 new licences in 2026, while VARA currently holds the largest share of licences, with ADGM/FSRA close behind.
Beyond listing, the tracker functions as a verification tool. Each entry specifies the regulator, the licensed activities, and the licence date, allowing founders, investors and counterparties to confirm a firm’s regulatory status in seconds.
NeosLegal has been involved in the UAE crypto ecosystem since 2016, structuring more than 300 crypto ventures and providing end‑to‑end VASP licensing support. The tracker launch is part of a broader effort to promote transparency and compliance in the UAE’s growing digital‑asset sector.
The database is now available at https://neoslegal.co/uae-vasp-license-tracker/. The launch was announced by NeosLegal’s marketing lead, Mery Avetisyan, who can be reached at hello@neoslegal.co.
The UAE VASP License Tracker 2026 is the first comprehensive, publicly available record of all active crypto licences in the country. By consolidating data from five regulators, the tracker provides a single point of reference for stakeholders and underscores the UAE’s position as a regulatory hub for digital assets.
Releasing the tracker at a time when the UAE continues to attract international crypto firms seeking regulatory certainty and market access, the database is poised to become a key resource for founders, investors and regulators monitoring the evolving landscape of virtual‑asset activity in the Middle East and beyond.
The tracker pulls data from five distinct authorities that oversee digital‑asset activity: Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), Abu Dhabi’s Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and its Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and its Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), and the federal Capital Market Authority (CMA). NeosLegal verifies each entry and updates the database monthly.
What makes the UAE unique is the coexistence of five separate regimes for VASPs. VARA regulates activity in Dubai outside the DIFC; ADGM/FSRA governs the Abu Dhabi free zone; DIFC/DFSA covers the Dubai free zone; CBUAE offers a banking‑sector framework; and the CMA oversees federal markets. Founder Irina Heaver noted that “the availability of multiple regimes gives founders one option in a single regime, the UAE gives you five, plus a doorway to the Global South.”
The launch comes against a backdrop of tightening crypto regulation in Europe. The Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) regulation has become a single EU regime with high capital and compliance requirements, while the United Kingdom and Switzerland maintain separate frameworks. Several European firms are relocating to the UAE to benefit from regulatory flexibility and access to fast‑growing markets in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.
Already, firms such as Vienna‑based Bitpanda (holding a VARA broker‑dealer licence), London‑based Zodia Markets (backed by Standard Chartered and licensed in ADGM), and Amsterdam‑founded Deribit (which moved its global headquarters to Dubai) operate under the UAE’s licences. ADGM introduced the country’s first virtual‑asset framework in 2018 and has issued 14 new licences in 2026, while VARA currently holds the largest share of licences, with ADGM/FSRA close behind.
Beyond listing, the tracker functions as a verification tool. Each entry specifies the regulator, the licensed activities, and the licence date, allowing founders, investors and counterparties to confirm a firm’s regulatory status in seconds.
NeosLegal has been involved in the UAE crypto ecosystem since 2016, structuring more than 300 crypto ventures and providing end‑to‑end VASP licensing support. The tracker launch is part of a broader effort to promote transparency and compliance in the UAE’s growing digital‑asset sector.
The database is now available at https://neoslegal.co/uae-vasp-license-tracker/. The launch was announced by NeosLegal’s marketing lead, Mery Avetisyan, who can be reached at hello@neoslegal.co.
The UAE VASP License Tracker 2026 is the first comprehensive, publicly available record of all active crypto licences in the country. By consolidating data from five regulators, the tracker provides a single point of reference for stakeholders and underscores the UAE’s position as a regulatory hub for digital assets.
Releasing the tracker at a time when the UAE continues to attract international crypto firms seeking regulatory certainty and market access, the database is poised to become a key resource for founders, investors and regulators monitoring the evolving landscape of virtual‑asset activity in the Middle East and beyond.
