UAE Requires Central Bank Licenses for All Crypto and DeFi Platforms Under New Federal Law
The United Arab Emirates enacted Federal Decree Law No. 6 of 2025, mandating central bank licensing for all cryptocurrency and decentralized finance platforms operating within or from the country. Unlicensed operations face penalties up to 1 billion dirhams ($272 million). The regulation covers virtual assets, DeFi protocols, stablecoins, tokenized assets, decentralized exchanges, wallets, and blockchain infrastructure.