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Capital Vault, a regulated affiliate of trading platform Capital.com, has secured a full virtual-asset licence from the UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority, now operating as the UAE CMA, clearing the way for Capital.com to offer spot cryptocurrency trading and custody to UAE clients, the companies announced on 20 August 2026. The move takes Capital.com beyond the derivatives-only crypto exposure it offers in most markets and into direct ownership, custody and settlement of actual crypto assets for its UAE customer base.
What the licence actually covers
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Licence holder | Capital Vault Virtual Services L.L.C – S.P.C |
| Regulator | UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (rebranded UAE CMA, per its own domain migration confirmed 20 July 2026) |
| Authorised activities | Dealing in virtual assets as an agent or matching principal; custody of client virtual assets; execution and settlement |
| Base of operations | Abu Dhabi |
| Parent relationship | Separate regulated entity from Capital.com, with independent governance, custody and risk arrangements |
| Prior regulatory step | Capital Vault Europe authorised under the EU’s MiCA CASP framework in December 2025 |
| Announcement date | 20 August 2026 |
“The UAE is at the forefront of virtual-asset regulation in the region, and the CMA’s review process reflects that rigour,” said Rahul Kumar, chief executive of Capital Vault UAE.
Tarik Chebib, chief executive for the MENA region at Capital.com, said: “Capital.com clients across the region have been asking for a straightforward, regulated way to buy and hold virtual assets.”
Ownership, not just price exposure
Capital.com’s existing crypto products in most markets are contracts-for-difference (CFDs), which track a crypto asset’s price without giving the customer ownership of the underlying coin. Capital Vault’s licence changes that specifically for the UAE market: once live, UAE clients using the Capital.com app will be able to buy and hold actual cryptocurrency, with Capital Vault handling execution, custody and settlement as the regulated layer underneath the consumer-facing app.
The company has not disclosed a launch date for the new spot service, which assets will be available at launch, or fee structures. Capital Vault said it expects to expand its regulatory footprint and product range in the UAE over time, without naming specific products or timelines.
Why It Matters
For the UAE’s crypto licensing landscape
The UAE runs multiple virtual-asset licensing regimes in parallel: Dubai’s VARA, ADGM’s FSRA in Abu Dhabi, and the federal CMA (the rebranded Securities and Commodities Authority). Capital Vault’s licence is a CMA grant, not a VARA one, a distinction that matters because press coverage and even company releases regularly conflate the UAE’s regulator names with Saudi Arabia’s differently-named Capital Market Authority. A global CFD broker choosing the federal CMA route, rather than VARA or ADGM, is a data point on how firms are weighing the UAE’s three-lane licensing landscape against each other.
For UAE retail crypto customers
Customers who already trade Capital.com’s crypto CFDs gain the option to actually own the underlying asset instead of only tracking its price, a meaningfully different risk and custody profile. Capital Vault’s separation from Capital.com’s other businesses, on paper, is meant to ring-fence customer crypto holdings from the broker’s derivatives book, though the practical custody arrangements haven’t been detailed publicly.
What’s Next
Watch for the first confirmed live date and asset list, and for whether Capital Vault pursues a second UAE licence, from VARA or ADGM, to cover activities the CMA grant doesn’t reach.
FAQs
What is the difference between the UAE CMA, VARA and ADGM for crypto licensing?
The UAE CMA (formerly the Securities and Commodities Authority) is the federal regulator; VARA licenses onshore Dubai; ADGM’s FSRA licenses Abu Dhabi’s financial free zone. A firm needs a separate licence from whichever regulator’s jurisdiction it wants to operate in.
What does a spot crypto licence let a company do that a CFD doesn’t?
A spot licence allows a company to let customers actually buy, hold and custody the underlying cryptocurrency. A CFD only tracks the asset’s price, without the customer owning or holding the coin itself.
Is Capital Vault the same company as Capital.com?
No. Capital Vault is a separately regulated affiliate with its own governance, custody and risk arrangements, though it operates to support Capital.com’s UAE crypto offering.
When can UAE clients start trading spot crypto through Capital.com?
No launch date has been disclosed. The companies say the licence clears the regulatory path; a specific go-live date and supported asset list haven’t been announced.
Where is Capital Vault based?
Capital Vault operates from an office in Abu Dhabi under its UAE CMA licence, and its European arm, Capital Vault Europe, is separately authorised under the EU’s MiCA framework as of December 2025.
Editor’s Take: VARA gets most of the UAE crypto-licensing headlines, but a global CFD broker went through the federal CMA instead, which says something about how firms are actually choosing between the UAE’s three parallel crypto regimes rather than defaulting to Dubai’s. A licence is a real regulatory milestone that is worth watching closely.