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Regulatory updates

Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority: latest updates.

New rules, circulars, consultations and notices from UAE regulators, each summarised with who is affected and what to do. Collected by Arakan Lexara from the regulators' own websites.

Arakan Lexara Weekly

The week's changes, what they mean and the deadlines ahead. Every Monday, free.

24 Jul 2026Enforcement NoticeMedium impact
VARA Notice of Fines - Shelbit General Trading L.L.C
VARA imposed a fine on Shelbit General Trading L.L.C. for providing unlicensed virtual-asset services in Dubai.
2 Jul 2026Press ReleaseLow impact
VARA Issues 50th VASP Licence as Dubai's Regulated Virtual Assets Market Continues to Grow
VARA announced it had issued its 50th Virtual Asset Service Provider licence, to Tribe Tokenisation FZE, marking continued growth of Dubai's regulated virtual-asset market since VARA's 2022 establishment. This milestone announcement was carried via Reuters/Zawya wire reporting citing VARA rather than found as a standalone post on VARA's own news index at the time of research, so treat the exact wording as secondary-sourced.
24 Jun 2026Enforcement NoticeMedium impact
VARA Notice of Fines - Peken Global Limited ("Kucoin")
VARA imposed a financial penalty on Peken Global Limited, operator of the KuCoin exchange brand, for unlicensed virtual-asset activity targeting Dubai, following its March 2026 investor alert.

Updates are found automatically on regulators' websites and summarised by AI. Check the official source before relying on any item.

Past weekly briefings

22 Jun 2026Enforcement NoticeMedium impact

VARA Notice of Fines - MX Global LTD ("MEXC")

VARA imposed a financial penalty on MX Global LTD, operator of the MEXC exchange brand, for providing virtual-asset services in or from Dubai without a VARA licence, following its March 2026 public alert.

22 Jun 2026Enforcement NoticeMedium impact

VARA Notice of Fines - CoinMENA FZE

VARA imposed a fine on licensed VASP CoinMENA FZE (licence ref VL/23/09/001) for a rulebook compliance breach; notable as an example of VARA's active supervisory enforcement against its own licensees, not only unlicensed operators.

12 Jun 2026GuidanceMedium impact

VARA Publishes AML/CFT Business Risk Assessment Guidance

VARA issued guidance setting expectations for how licensed VASPs should conduct and document their firm-wide AML/CFT business risk assessment, complementing the transaction/customer-level Rule III(D) guidance issued in November 2025.

1 Jun 2026Administrative NoticeMedium impact

Publication of UAE Proliferation Financing National Risk Assessment (PF NRA) 2026 and Required Actions

VARA circulated the UAE's 2026 Proliferation Financing National Risk Assessment and directed VASPs to incorporate its findings into their own proliferation-financing risk assessments and controls.

9 Apr 2026GuidanceHigh impact

Guidance on the Virtual Asset Issuance Rulebook (Asset-Referenced Virtual Assets)

VARA published non-binding guidance interpreting the Virtual Asset Issuance Rulebook for Asset-Referenced Virtual Assets (ARVAs), distinguishing direct-ownership ARVAs (no reserve requirement) from stable-value ARVAs (full reserve regime) and requiring issuers to obtain a five-part legal opinion; it also flags potential dual-regulation with the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority for tokenised securities.

31 Mar 2026Rulebook AmendmentHigh impact

Exchange Services Rulebook Version 2.1 - Virtual Asset Exchange-Traded Derivatives Regime

VARA published Version 2.1 of the Exchange Services Rulebook, establishing Dubai's first permanent regime for exchange-traded virtual asset derivatives (futures, options, CFDs, perpetuals). Retail access is permitted subject to suitability assessments, a 5:1 leverage cap and 20% minimum initial margin, asset segregation, and VARA intervention powers during market stress; VASPs are barred from proprietary derivatives trading, including through affiliates. This formalises the framework piloted with OKX in July 2025 across all licensed exchange VASPs.

5 Mar 2026Enforcement NoticeMedium impact

VARA Investor and Marketplace Alert - Phoenixfin Pte Ltd, MEK Global Limited, Peken Global Limited, and Kucoin Exchange EU GmbH (commercially advertising as KuCoin)

VARA warned the public that entities operating under the 'KuCoin' brand are not licensed by VARA and directed them to cease soliciting Dubai-based clients; this alert preceded a formal fine against related KuCoin entities (Peken Global Limited) in June 2026.

5 Mar 2026Enforcement NoticeMedium impact

VARA Investor and Marketplace Alert - MEXC Estonia OU and MEXC Global LTD (commercially advertising as MEXC)

VARA warned the public that MEXC-branded entities are not licensed to offer virtual-asset services in Dubai; this alert preceded a formal fine against MX Global LTD in June 2026.

4 Mar 2026Administrative NoticeHigh impact

Implementation of the UAE Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorism Financing and Proliferation Financing Requirements Applicable to VASPs

VARA circulated implementation instructions translating the UAE's federal AML/CTF/PF legal requirements into specific obligations for licensed VASPs, consolidating earlier sanctions and risk-assessment guidance into a single implementation circular.

24 Feb 2026Administrative NoticeHigh impact

Implementation of the UAE Virtual Assets Travel Rule Requirements

VARA circulated implementation requirements for the UAE Virtual Assets 'Travel Rule', directing VASPs to collect and transmit originator/beneficiary information on virtual-asset transfers in line with FATF Recommendation 16, superseding prior travel-rule provisions in the rulebook (previously versioned 19 May 2025).

19 Feb 2026Administrative NoticeLow impact

VARA Consumer and Marketplace Alert - Update on the Real Estate Tokenisation Pilot

VARA published an update on its Real Estate Tokenisation pilot programme, clarifying the pilot's regulatory status and permitted participants following earlier 2025 alerts about misrepresentation of tokenised real-estate products by unauthorised parties.

22 Jan 2026Administrative NoticeMedium impact

Enhanced Measures for High-Risk Jurisdictions - Updated FATF Lists (October 2025)

VARA notified VASPs of the FATF's October 2025 updates to its high-risk and increased-monitoring jurisdiction lists, requiring enhanced due diligence for exposures to newly listed jurisdictions.

8 Jan 2026GuidanceMedium impact

Onboarding and Classification of Qualified Investors

VARA issued guidance (v3) on how VASPs must onboard and classify 'Qualified Investors', clarifying eligibility criteria and documentation standards that determine which clients may access higher-risk products such as derivatives.

24 Nov 2025Administrative NoticeHigh impact

Publication of UAE Federal Decree-Law on AML/CFT/CPF (2025) - Mandatory GAP Assessment for VASPs

Following publication of the UAE's new Federal Decree-Law on AML/CFT/CPF (2025), VARA directed all licensed VASPs to complete a mandatory gap assessment of their AML/CFT frameworks against the new federal law and remediate any deficiencies identified.

21 Nov 2025GuidanceMedium impact

Executive Office for Control & Non-Proliferation (EOCN) Updated Guidance on Targeted Financial Sanctions

VARA circulated the UAE Executive Office for Control & Non-Proliferation's updated guidelines on targeted financial sanctions screening, requiring VASPs to update their sanctions-screening procedures and EOCN system registration accordingly.

7 Nov 2025GuidanceMedium impact

Guidance on Rule III D Risk Assessments

VARA issued guidance clarifying expectations under Rule III(D) of the Compliance and Risk Management Rulebook on how VASPs must conduct and document enterprise-wide AML/CFT risk assessments.

27 Oct 2025Enforcement NoticeMedium impact

VARA Investor and Marketplace Alert - Vesta Prime Portal Co. L.L.C.

VARA issued a public alert warning investors that Vesta Prime Portal Co. L.L.C. is not licensed or registered with VARA and cautioning the public against engaging it for virtual asset services. The exact page URL slug for this specific alert could not be independently confirmed beyond VARA's regulatory notices index, where the title and 27 Oct 2025 date are listed.

15 Oct 2025Press ReleaseMedium impact

Live from GITEX: DFSA and VARA Strengthen Regulatory Cooperation to Support Dubai's Position as a Leading Global Financial Centre

DFSA and VARA announced a strengthened cooperation framework (MOU) at GITEX Global to coordinate licensing, supervision and AML/CFT oversight between Dubai's onshore virtual-asset regulator and the DIFC's financial regulator, easing coordination for firms operating across both jurisdictions. Note: this announcement was not found republished on VARA's own news index at the time of research, so it is sourced here from the DFSA's official site rather than vara.ae directly.

10 Oct 2025Consultation PaperHigh impact

Public Consultation on the UAE's Implementation of the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF)

VARA circulated the UAE Ministry of Finance's public consultation on adopting the OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, under which VASPs would need to collect and report client tax-residency and transaction data; the consultation window closed 8 Nov 2025 per the Ministry of Finance's parallel notice, so this item is now a closed/superseded consultation pending final rules.

7 Oct 2025Enforcement NoticeHigh impact

VARA Steps Up Enforcement to Safeguard Dubai's Virtual Asset Market - 19 Unlicensed Firms Penalised and Public Warning Issued

VARA penalised 19 firms found offering unlicensed virtual asset services to or from Dubai and issued a public warning naming them; VASPs and the public should verify counterparties against VARA's public register before dealing with them.