Is crypto legal in the UAE and Dubai?

Crypto is legal in the UAE, including Dubai. The country regulates the businesses that handle it, through several authorities that split the work by emirate, free zone and activity. This overview reflects the position as of October 2026.

Is cryptocurrency legal in Dubai?

Yes. Dubai created a dedicated crypto regulator, the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). It oversees how virtual assets are issued, used and exchanged in and from Dubai, under its Virtual Assets and Related Activities Regulations 2023.

VARA covers both mainland Dubai and its free zones, with one exception: the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), which sits outside VARA's remit. Firms go through a two-step licensing process, and VARA publishes a public register of licensed virtual asset service providers. That register is the place to confirm whether a Dubai platform is licensed.

Who regulates crypto in the rest of the UAE?

At federal level, Cabinet Resolution No. 111 of 2022 sets the framework. It took effect on January 14, 2023 and names the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) as the main regulator, according to the law firm Norton Rose Fulbright.

Under it, crypto firms need a license either from the SCA or from a local authority such as VARA. The resolution also brings crypto firms under UAE anti-money-laundering law. It applies across the country except in the financial free zones, which run their own regimes.

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) is one of those zones. Its regulator, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority, launched a crypto framework in June 2018 covering exchanges, custodians and other crypto businesses.

What does UAE crypto law say about payments and stablecoins?

Payments are the central bank's territory. The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) issued its Payment Token Services Regulation in June 2024. It covers stablecoins and other tokens used for payment:

• Dirham-backed stablecoins need a CBUAE license.
• Foreign stablecoins must come from a registered issuer, and merchants can accept them only as payment for other virtual assets.
• Algorithmic stablecoins and privacy tokens are banned for everyone, including firms licensed by VARA or the SCA.

A newer central bank law, Federal Decree Law No. 6 of 2025, came into effect on September 16, 2025. Lawyers quoted by Cointelegraph said it can require licenses for platforms that enable crypto payments, exchange, lending or custody, including some decentralized finance projects, with a transition deadline in September 2026. They said it does not ban individuals from holding crypto in their own wallets. Fines for unlicensed activity can reach 1 billion dirhams.

For how the UAE compares with other countries, see crypto regulation around the world and is cryptocurrency legal.

Rules differ by country and change often. Check the regulator's website or a qualified professional for your own situation.