ARP Digital has secured a broker-dealer licence from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), allowing the Bahrain-based institutional digital asset firm to offer regulated conversions between cryptocurrencies and the UAE dirham. The licence allows ARP Digital to serve UAE-based corporates, capital markets participants and qualified investors. The company said its services will include conversions between stablecoins and dirhams, giving institutions a regulated way to move digital-asset capital into local UAE assets.
The approval marks an important expansion for ARP Digital as it enters its second regulated market in the Gulf. The company is already licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain, where it has built a sizeable institutional business.
Dubai processed $56 billion in digital asset value in two years.
We are now licensed within that market.
Full Broker-Dealer licence from @varadubai . Regulated digital asset and stablecoin conversion to UAE dirham, from Bahrain into the Gulf’s largest digital asset market. pic.twitter.com/5nKyAQrWBK
— ARP Digital (@ARPdigital_io) August 12, 2026
The Bahrain operation has handled over $3.5 billion in transactions for over 450 institutional and corporate counterparties, according to ARP Digital. According to the corporation, its business expanded fourfold in 2025, demonstrating the growing need for regulated digital-asset services from professional clients.
The company will be able to expand on that experience in the UAE thanks to the new Dubai license. For institutions, one of the practical challenges of using digital assets is moving between crypto and traditional currencies. ARP Digital’s regulated conversion services are designed to make that process easier, particularly for companies dealing with stablecoins and UAE dirhams.
The company said its Dubai operation will also provide institutions with a regulated route to convert digital-asset capital for investment or deployment into local UAE assets. This could be useful for financial institutions and corporates that want exposure to digital assets while remaining within established regulatory requirements.
Source: arpdigital.io
ARP Digital offers several institutional services, including over-the-counter liquidity, cross-border settlement and fiat on- and off-ramps. It also provides wealth management services. Together, these services are aimed at professional clients that need more than a simple cryptocurrency trading platform.
The Dubai approval comes as the emirate continues to build a regulated market for virtual assets. VARA was established in 2022 and is responsible for overseeing the provision, use and exchange of virtual assets in and from Dubai.
The regulator has been steadily expanding its licensing framework as more crypto companies seek to establish operations in the emirate. In July, VARA issued its 50th virtual asset service provider licence, marking another milestone in Dubai’s efforts to develop a regulated digital-asset ecosystem.
For ARP Digital, having regulatory approval in both Bahrain and Dubai gives the company a stronger position across the Gulf. The two markets are increasingly attracting institutional interest in cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and blockchain-based financial services.
The latest licence also reflects a broader shift in the digital-asset industry. As institutional participation grows, companies are looking for regulated ways to connect crypto markets with traditional financial systems. Services such as fiat conversion, settlement and liquidity are becoming particularly important as banks, investment firms and corporates explore digital assets.
ARP Digital’s Dubai expansion therefore goes beyond simply adding another licence. It gives the company a regulated base in one of the region’s most active digital-asset markets and provides institutional clients with another route between digital assets and the traditional financial system.
Stay informed with the latest trends in Web3, blockchain innovation, and cybersecurity updates at 3verseTV
You need to login in order to Like
Leave a comment