Capital.com To Offer Spot Virtual-Asset Services In The UAE After Capital Vault Secures Full CMA Licence

Capital.com today announced plans to offer virtual-asset investment services to clients in the UAE. The move follows a licence granted to its affiliate, Capital Vault Virtual Services L.L.C – S.P.C. (“Capital Vault UAE”), by the Capital Market Authority (CMA), the federal regulator for virtual assets in the UAE.

The licence allows Capital Vault UAE to deal in virtual assets, either as an agent or as a matching principal, and to provide custody for virtual assets on behalf of clients. Capital Vault UAE is among the first firms licensed under the CMA’s virtual-asset framework, and the services it supports will be available to Capital.com clients in the UAE.

Once live, Capital.com clients in the UAE will be able to buy virtual-assets outright through the Capital.com app and held in accordance with the client-asset rules applicable to a CMA-licensed custodian. Capital Vault provides that regulated layer, including execution, custody and settlement, under its licence, and operates from an office in Abu Dhabi. This follows Capital Vault Europe which was one of the first batch of firms authorised under MiCA’s CASP framework in December 2025.

Capital Vault operates as a separate regulated entity, focused specifically on virtual assets, with its governance, custody and risk arrangements held separately from Capital.com’s other regulated businesses. 

Commenting on the licence, Rahul Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Capital Vault UAE, said:

“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. 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.”

 Commenting on the licence, Tarik Chebib, Chief Executive Officer MENA, Capital.com, said: 

“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. This licence lets us bring that to clients in the UAE, with Capital Vault providing the infrastructure behind it, and more products to follow.” 

Additional virtual-asset products will be announced in due course.This approach is built around giving clients a considered way to access digital assets, structured and well-governed. Capital Vault expects to expand its regulatory footprint and its client-facing virtual-asset services in the UAE.