Brokerage Capital.com expands into UAE spot crypto trading following affiliate licensing
Capital.com will allow UAE clients to buy and hold actual digital assets after its affiliate Capital Vault obtained a virtual-asset license from the Capital Market Authority, marking a strategic shift from derivative-only exposure to direct custody in a formalizing regional market.
Brokerage platform Capital.com is preparing to introduce direct cryptocurrency trading for clients in the United Arab Emirates. This strategic shift follows a virtual-asset license granted to its affiliate, Capital Vault, by the UAE Capital Market Authority.
Upon launch, regional users will gain the ability to purchase and retain actual digital assets within the existing Capital.com application. The newly licensed affiliate will manage all execution, settlement, and custody functions for these holdings.
This development marks a substantive evolution for the broker, which historically restricted regional access to contracts for difference. Those derivative instruments offer price speculation but deliberately withhold ownership of the underlying digital tokens.
Regulatory compliance dictates that Capital Vault functions as an entirely independent entity. Its risk protocols, custody infrastructure, and corporate governance are strictly ring-fenced from the broader operations of Capital.com.
To support this expansion, the affiliate has established a physical corporate presence in Abu Dhabi. Management is actively recruiting a specialized local workforce dedicated to virtual asset operations.
This regulatory green light arrives in the wake of the Capital Market Authority’s comprehensive virtual-asset framework unveiled in April. That pivotal policy broadened the scope of permissible regulated activities from three to eight distinct categories.
The updated rules mandate rigorous operational standards across several critical domains. Firms must now adhere to strict prudential safeguards, anti-money laundering controls, alternative trading system guidelines, and elevated business conduct expectations.
For market participants, the introduction of regulated spot custody represents a maturing digital asset ecosystem in the Gulf. It establishes a compliant infrastructure for capital to target underlying tokens directly, bypassing synthetic derivative exposure.
