Animoca Brands secures Dubai VASP license, clears path for regional expansion Animoca Brands has won a key regulatory approval in Dubai, obtaining a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from the Emirate’s regulatory authority for digital assets, the company said Monday. The Hong Kong–headquartered blockchain investor and infrastructure provider said the license lets it begin operating in Dubai, offering broker-dealer services along with digital-asset management and investment products. The approval follows Animoca’s in-principle nod as a regulated fund manager in Abu Dhabi last November and comes as Dubai builds out its crypto regulatory framework. The emirate created the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) in 2022 to license and supervise cryptocurrency and crypto-adjacent firms, a move that has helped attract major platforms including Binance and OKX. Animoca — which filed for a Nasdaq listing through a reverse merger late last year — manages a portfolio of more than 600 blockchain investments and provides institutional services such as crypto treasury management and digital-asset infrastructure. The new VASP license clears a major regulatory hurdle for the firm’s Middle East push and enables it to offer regulated services directly out of Dubai’s growing digital-asset hub. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

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