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DubaiSetup Index

Virtual Assets Management Investment Services licence in the UAE

Virtual Assets Management Investment Services licensing in the UAE — the authority catalogue rows we hold for this line, the approvals attached to them, and where the activity can be filed.

IFZA (Dubai)
6920014

Regulator approval required

What the authority says

Includes firms engaged in acting on behalf of an Entity as an agent, or fiduciary, or otherwise taking responsibility for the management, administration or disposition of that Entity’s Virtual Assets, But shall not be limited to,investment management services or otherwise managing Vas, and taking responsibility for the ‘staking’ of VAs for the purpose of earning fees or other values paid to validators and/or node operators of a ‘proof-of-stake’ DLT.

IFZA activity catalogue · synced 4 September 2026

Where you can licence this

Availability of this activity by licensing authority
IFZA (Dubai)ListedCode6920014Licence typeCommercialApprovalRequired before the licence issuesFacilityNot restricted in the catalogue
Ajman Free ZoneNot listed under this nameCode—Licence type—Approval—Facility—
Dubai mainland (DET)Not verifiedWe hold no DET activity catalogueCode—Licence type—Approval—Facility—

Catalogue evidence, not legal advice. Authorities change activity lists without notice — confirm before you file.

Routes that list this activity

A route listing the activity is a starting point. The authority confirms eligibility when you apply.

Facility and premises restrictions

IFZA (Dubai) 6920014 note
Cannot be combined with any other activity.

Third-party approvals

This activity sits with a regulator that controls who may hold the licence. Treat everything below as a starting point and speak to the regulator before you commit money or dates.

Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA)

Before licenceIFZA (Dubai)
Read the authority’s process note

In line with the current regulations set by the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority, please be informed that all applicants are required to fill an official survey before submitting the license application on the system. The survey can be found through this link: https://msurvey.government.ae/survey/Virtual%20Assets%20Regulatory%20Authority/h8P On the same note, we have been given directives to the effect that any license will not be issued without initial VARA approval for the requested activity, a process that is currently estimated to take a minimum of 4 weeks. Kindly take this into consideration when calculating timelines for VARA approval and license application processes. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Approval documents

Free zone or mainland

  • IFZA lists this activity; Ajman Free Zone does not carry it under the same name, so confirm the Ajman catalogue before switching lanes.
  • We hold no Dubai DET record for this activity, so treat mainland as unverified here rather than unavailable.
  • Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) clearance is required before the licence issues, which breaks any advertised same-week timeline.
  • IFZA (Dubai) notes: Cannot be combined with any other activity.

Also catalogued elsewhere

The same activity name appears in other authority catalogues we track. This is a name match, not a legal equivalence, and Dubai Setup Index does not file in these zones.

  • DMCC6599-84 · Service

Related activities

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FAQ

Can I add more activities to a Virtual Assets Management Investment Services licence later?

Usually yes, as a licence amendment, subject to the authority's rules and any extra approval attached to the new line.

Does this activity need third-party approval?

Yes. Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) must clear the activity before the licence issues, so build that step into your timeline.

Licence Virtual Assets Management Investment Services with Dubai Setup Index

Explore the available free-zone options, then confirm the activity code, approvals and timeline.