Dubai regulator grants crypto license to Bahrain’s CoinMENA

Dubai’s Digital Belongings Regulatory Authority (VARA) has awarded a digital asset service supplier (VASP) license to Bahrain-headquartered cryptocurrency trade CoinMENA to function and supply providers in and from the emirate.

The license acquired by CoinMENA FZE, the Dubai subsidiary of CoinMENA B.S.C., permits the platform to supply digital asset broker-dealer providers, the Dec. 12 announcement shared with Cointelegraph stated. It comes a 12 months after the platform obtained a provisional license from the Dubai regulator.

The information is out! CoinMENA is formally licensed in Dubai.https://t.co/lbOq7GHtti

— CoinMENA | كوين مينا (@CoinMENA) December 13, 2023

The allow additionally permits CoinMENA to supply retail and institutional clients within the United Arab Emirates with the power to deposit and withdraw in UAE dirhams to make trades quicker with out overseas trade components.

CoinMENA co-founders Dina Sam’an and Talal Tabbaa stated in a joint assertion that regulatory readability from VARA has made Dubai an rising world hub for crypto and digital asset monetary providers, with Sam’an including that constructing “robust relationships” with native regulators has been a precedence for the agency. Her fellow founder added:

“Dubai is on the forefront of crypto development and innovation, launching numerous initiatives to push the adoption of the digital asset within the area. Working with VARA will allow us to higher serve our institutional and retail customers within the emirate in addition to cut back fiat to crypto transaction prices.”

The trade stated it’s already in partnership with digital banking platform Zand.

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CoinMENA has been a regulated entity licensed by the Central Financial institution of Bahrain (CBB) since 2021. Particularly, CoinMENA holds a category-Three crypto asset service supplier license from the CBB, which permits it to supply its providers to customers throughout the member international locations of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

A spokesperson for CoinMENA advised Cointelegraph in an e-mail response that the brand new license will solely have an effect on customers based mostly within the UAE and that their Bahrain entity will proceed serving the remainder of their buyer base.

CoinMENA joins a rising listing of lively VASP licensees for crypto broker-dealer providers comprised of crypto funding platform Fasset and digital asset agency Laser Digital, amongst others.

“The aggressive panorama is just going to get extra aggressive,” the spokesperson stated. “We’re beneath no illusions that Dubai goals to develop into a worldwide crypto hub, and as such, we count on many world gamers to come back in.”