Virtual-asset regulator (Dubai)
VARA — Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority
Last reviewed: 2026-09-22
How do you check whether a crypto or virtual-asset firm is licensed in Dubai?
VARA is Dubai's regulator for virtual assets, licensing exchanges, custodians, brokers and other virtual-asset service providers across the emirate outside the DIFC. It publishes regulatory notices and public warnings naming firms operating without a licence — the fastest way to check whether a crypto counterparty is authorised at all.
What it publishes
- Regulatory notices and public warnings about firms marketing virtual-asset services without a licence.
- The register of VARA-licensed virtual-asset service providers and the activities each may perform.
- Enforcement measures, fines and restrictions imposed on licensed and unlicensed operators.
How to check its records
- Check the VARA regulatory notices on vara.ae for public warnings naming the firm or its brand.
- Confirm the firm holds a VARA licence for the specific activity it is offering — a licence for one activity does not cover the others.
- Mind the jurisdiction: virtual-asset firms inside the DIFC are regulated by the DFSA, not VARA, so check the right regulator for the entity's registered home.
Counterscope coverage
Counterscope indexes published VARA regulatory notices and matches the named firms to entities where the registry record supports it, so a public warning against a virtual-asset operator becomes part of its counterparty profile rather than a one-off announcement.
Official sources
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