{"id":114263,"date":"2026-04-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/?p=114263"},"modified":"2026-04-17T07:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T07:05:16","slug":"how-the-cma-is-redrawing-the-rules-for-virtual-assets-and-what-comes-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/04\/17\/how-the-cma-is-redrawing-the-rules-for-virtual-assets-and-what-comes-next\/","title":{"rendered":"How the CMA is redrawing the rules for virtual assets (and what comes next)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UAE\u2019s Capital Market Authority (CMA) is moving to bring order and oversight to a <\/strong>fast-evolving sector: <\/strong>The watchdog rolled out<\/a> earlier this week a new virtual assets framework that consolidates what had been a patchwork of rules into a single, consolidated framework.<\/p>\n

The crypto reset expands the regulatory perimeter from three to eight activities<\/strong>, now covering dealing, custody, investment advice, portfolio management, arranging transactions, and operating trading platforms. The framework \u201cwill bring more firms within licensing requirements,\u201d particularly those whose models were previously only indirectly captured, such as advisory or portfolio management, a CMA spokesperson told EnterpriseAM in an emailed statement. <\/p>\n

The broader principle is one of equivalence:<\/strong> The CMA is moving toward a \u201csame activity, same risk, same regulatory outcome\u201d approach, meaning firms performing functions comparable to traditional finance will face equivalent scrutiny regardless of the technology involved. <\/p>\n

One key shift is how tokenized assets are treated. <\/strong>\u201cNot everything that uses DLT [distributed ledger technology] will automatically fall under the VA regime,\u201d the CMA noted, stressing that firms must assess the legal nature of the instrument and not just the technology. That should drive \u201cmore disciplined classification\u201d and closer coordination with regulators before products are launched.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a one-year grace period running to 27 February 2027, but it\u2019s not a pass. <\/strong>The CMA said firms \u201cshould pay close attention to the transition arrangements,\u201d which will determine how existing business models are treated, with circulars already issued outlining the impact on applicants and license holders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We probed the CMA on what its new framework means in practice, from expanded licensing requirements and stricter oversight to timelines and what firms need to do next<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":114264,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2478],"tags":[2586,2811,2538,2465,2812,2562],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-114263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regulation","tag-capital-markets","tag-crypto","tag-enterpriseam","tag-regulation","tag-tech","tag-uae","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"b6a5a7ef-e110-46cf-8d6e-c05d56772149","order":"8","is_powered_by":false,"story_type":"1","photo_url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/2026\/1\/354.jpg","photo_position":"above","homepage_title":"","full_issue_title":"Unpacking the UAE\u2019s new crypto rulebook","related_issue":[114250],"teaser":"We probed the CMA on what its new framework means in practice, from expanded licensing requirements and stricter oversight to timelines and what firms need to do next"},"yoast_head":"\nHow the CMA is redrawing the rules for virtual assets (and what comes next) - MENA+ Edition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/04\/17\/how-the-cma-is-redrawing-the-rules-for-virtual-assets-and-what-comes-next\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How the CMA is redrawing the rules for virtual assets (and what comes next)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We probed the CMA on what its new framework means in practice, from expanded licensing 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