ARP Digital has received a broker-dealer license from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, Cointelegraph reported. The license places the firm within VARA’s formal oversight structure for digital asset trading and brokerage activity in the emirate.
VARA was established to regulate virtual asset service providers operating in Dubai. It issues distinct categories of licenses covering exchange operations, custody, brokerage and other market functions. A broker-dealer license typically permits a firm to facilitate trades between buyers and sellers of digital assets, acting as an intermediary rather than operating a full exchange venue.
Dubai has positioned itself as a hub for crypto firms seeking regulatory clarity outside jurisdictions where rules remain unsettled. VARA’s framework was designed to attract institutional players by offering defined licensing categories and supervisory expectations. Firms operating under VARA approval are subject to ongoing compliance obligations, including capital, governance and reporting requirements specific to their license class.
The move by ARP Digital fits a broader pattern of crypto trading firms pursuing licenses in the United Arab Emirates. Regulatory clarity has become a competitive factor for exchanges and brokers choosing where to base regulated operations. Dubai has drawn comparisons to other jurisdictions building out digital asset rulebooks, including Hong Kong’s licensing regime and the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework.
Details about ARP Digital’s planned scope of operations under the new license, including which client segments or asset classes it intends to serve, were not included in the available reporting. The firm’s broader business activities and prior regulatory history in other jurisdictions were also not specified in the source material.
VARA has issued licenses to a range of firms since its formation, spanning exchanges, custodians and brokers. Each license class carries its own set of obligations tailored to the type of service being offered. A broker-dealer designation generally distinguishes a firm from spot exchanges, which match orders directly on a trading venue, and from custodians, which safeguard client assets without necessarily executing trades.
The approval adds ARP Digital to the list of firms operating under Dubai’s regulatory umbrella for virtual assets. It also underscores the emirate’s continued effort to build a licensed ecosystem spanning multiple functions within the digital asset trading lifecycle.
Sources disagree on this story
This article was published before the reports below were compared. The reporting above stands; what follows is where the published accounts do not agree.
Cointelegraph and CryptoBriefing disagree on whether ARP Digital's Dubai VARA broker-dealer approval is a finalized license or a preliminary step still requiring further compliance.
What all sources agree on
- ARP Digital is a Bahrain-based digital asset infrastructure/capital platform.
- The approval relates to VARA (Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority) and covers broker-dealer activity.
- The approval would allow regulated conversions between digital assets/stablecoins and the UAE dirham.
- This marks ARP Digital's second regulated Gulf market, alongside its Central Bank of Bahrain license.
- ARP Digital has processed over $3.5 billion in transaction volume across more than 450 institutional and corporate clients.
- The company reported 4x year-on-year volume growth in 2025.
Where the reports disagree
1Whether ARP Digital has secured a full broker-dealer license or only in-principle approval
ARP Digital secures Dubai VARA broker-dealer license
ARP Digital, a digital capital infrastructure platform backed by one of the Gulf's oldest merchant families, has received in-principle approval from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority to operate as a broker-dealer.
What would settle it: VARA's public regulator register or ARP Digital's own licensing statement confirming license status
2Whether ARP Digital can currently offer services to clients under this approval
ARP Digital, an institutional digital asset infrastructure provider, has secured a broker-dealer license from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, allowing the Bahrain-based firm to offer regulated conversions between digital assets and the UAE dirham.
ARP Digital still needs to satisfy VARA's full licensing requirements before it can actually serve clients in Dubai.
What would settle it: VARA's public regulator register or ARP Digital's own statement on operational status
3Whether a full VARA license has been publicly confirmed
Flowdesk, a crypto market maker backed by Coinbase Ventures and BlackRock, also received a full VARA broker-dealer license on Tuesday, allowing it to serve qualified and institutional investors in and from the emirate.
As of now, no public confirmation of a full VARA license for ARP Digital has emerged, which is consistent with how VARA handles these approvals.
What would settle it: VARA's public licensing register
What to make of it
Treat ARP Digital's expansion into a second Gulf market as established, but do not assume it can currently serve Dubai clients until VARA's public register or ARP Digital's own statement clarifies whether this is a full license or an in-principle approval.
Market Impact
A new broker-dealer license in Dubai signals continued institutional interest in operating under defined crypto regulatory frameworks rather than in unregulated markets. For market participants, licensed brokerage services can offer additional counterparty assurance when executing digital asset trades. The development may also reinforce Dubai's positioning as a competitive jurisdiction for firms weighing where to establish regulated crypto trading operations.
Broader implications for trading volumes, liquidity or specific asset markets were not detailed in available reporting. Any market effects would likely depend on the scale of ARP Digital's operations and the client base it serves under the new license.
ARP Digital's licensing marks another step in Dubai's buildout of a regulated digital asset market. Further details on the firm's operational plans have not yet been reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a VARA broker-dealer license allow a firm to do?
It generally permits a firm to act as an intermediary facilitating digital asset trades between buyers and sellers, subject to VARA's compliance and reporting requirements.
What is VARA?
VARA, the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, is Dubai's regulator overseeing licensing and supervision of virtual asset service providers operating in the emirate.
Why are crypto firms seeking licenses in Dubai?
Dubai's VARA framework offers defined licensing categories and regulatory clarity, which has attracted firms looking to operate under formal oversight rather than in unregulated markets.
Does this license affect ARP Digital's operations in other jurisdictions?
Available reporting did not specify how the Dubai license relates to ARP Digital's activities or regulatory status elsewhere.