Regulator profile · AE
VARA — Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (Dubai)
Tracked byBrokerlist Editorial · Independent review teamUpdated
The Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) is the Emirate of Dubai's dedicated regulator for virtual-asset service providers (VASPs) — the world's first standalone government regulator focused exclusively on crypto. It operates within Dubai's mainland jurisdiction (the DIFC free zone has its own DFSA framework).
Brokers in United Arab Emirates accepting residents under VARA- Jurisdiction
- Emirate of Dubai · mainland Dubai only; the DIFC free zone uses the parallel DFSA framework.
- Founded
- 2022
- Mandate
- Established by Dubai Law No. 4 of 2022 to regulate virtual-asset activities, VARA issues licences across seven activity categories: Advisory Services, Broker-Dealer Services, Custody Services, Exchange Services, Lending and Borrowing Services, Payments and Remittances, and Management and Investment Services. The authority operates the VARA Rulebook covering compliance, prudential, conduct, technology and AML rules.
- Consumer protection
- No statutory deposit-protection scheme equivalent to bank-deposit insurance. Licensees must maintain minimum capital and segregated client funds per VARA's Prudential Rulebook. Consumer Affairs Department within VARA handles formal complaints; cross-border enforcement coordinated with the SCA (federal UAE Securities and Commodities Authority) and the DFSA.
- Retail leverage caps
- For Broker-Dealer Services and Exchange Services involving virtual assets, leverage and product-intervention rules are set in the VARA Compliance and Risk Management Rulebook. There is no statutory FX leverage cap because VARA does not regulate fiat-FX brokerage; for VA-derivatives, retail leverage limits typically follow the 1:2 to 1:5 international norm.
- Public register
- VARA maintains a public register of licensed VASPs by category, plus a separate "non-objection" list for activities granted preliminary status pending full licensing. Cross-checked against the SCA (federal) register for entities also operating outside Dubai. Open register ↗
- Dispute resolution
- Consumer Affairs Department at VARA handles complaints against licensees. The Centre for Amicable Settlement of Disputes (CASD) in Dubai handles broader commercial financial disputes. Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts for higher-value or cross-border matters.
- Editor notes
- VARA is a meaningful regulatory innovation — the first dedicated VA-only authority. In our coverage Bybit holds a VARA licence (Bybit MENA FZE). The framework is more rigorous than offshore VA registries (St Vincent, Seychelles for crypto) but younger and narrower than mature securities regulators; most VARA licensees use parallel offshore entities for FX/CFD activity.
Brokers we track with a VARA licence
No brokersNo tracked broker currently holds a VARA licence in our database.