Capital.com has announced plans to offer virtual asset investment services to clients in the UAE, following a licence granted to its affiliate Capital Vault Virtual Services L.L.C by the Capital Market Authority (CMA), the federal regulator for virtual assets in the UAE.
Capital Vault UAE is among the first firms licensed under the CMA’s virtual asset framework.
Capital Vault to expand UAE regulatory footprint as additional products follow
The licence allows Capital Vault UAE to deal in virtual assets as an agent or matching principal and to provide custody for virtual assets on behalf of clients.
Once live, Capital.com clients in the UAE will be able to buy virtual assets outright through the Capital.com app, held in accordance with the client asset rules applicable to a CMA-licensed custodian. Capital Vault provides the regulated layer covering execution, custody, and settlement, and operates from an office in Abu Dhabi.
Capital Vault operates as a separate regulated entity from Capital.com’s other regulated businesses, with its governance, custody, and risk arrangements held independently. The move follows Capital Vault Europe becoming one of the first batch of firms authorised under MiCA’s CASP framework in December 2025.
“The UAE is at the forefront of virtual-asset regulation in the region, and the Capital Market Authority’s review process for virtual-asset licensing reflects that rigour,” said Rahul Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of Capital Vault UAE. “We have established an office in Abu Dhabi and are building a local team dedicated to virtual assets, and our presence in the UAE is pivotal to our business.”
“Capital.com clients across the region have been asking for a straightforward, regulated way to buy and hold virtual-assets alongside the markets they already trade,” said Tarik Chebib, Chief Executive Officer MENA at Capital.com. “This licence lets us bring that to clients in the UAE, with Capital Vault providing the infrastructure behind it, and more products to follow.”
Capital Vault expects to expand its regulatory footprint and client-facing virtual asset services in the UAE, with additional virtual asset products to be announced in due course.
Featured image of Tarik Chebib, Chief Executive Officer MENA, Capital.com. Image courtesy: Capital.com
