Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE)
Do I need a licence to operate a payment gateway in the UAE?
Content reviewed 2026-08-14 · How we check sources
Short answer
It depends on what the gateway actually does. A pure technology layer can have a different outcome, but if the business itself performs a regulated service such as Payment Aggregation, Merchant Acquiring, funds transfer or another Retail Payment Service, CBUAE authorisation is required unless an exemption applies.
What this means
Do not decide the perimeter from the marketing label “gateway”. Map whether the company receives or controls funds, contracts with merchants for regulated payment services, acquires transactions or merely provides software to a licensed provider.
If the platform also provides Open Finance, stored value or payment-token functions, test those frameworks separately.
Official sources
CBUAE — Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation ↗Ask with your entity, activity and regulator.
Regulatory research, not legal advice. This answer has the scope and review date shown above; your institution decides applicability.