CBUAE / relevant UAE virtual-asset regulator
Do I need a CBUAE licence to provide crypto custody for payment tokens?
Content reviewed 2026-08-14 · How we check sources
Short answer
Yes, if you provide regulated Payment Token Custody and Transfer within the CBUAE perimeter. The Payment Token Services Regulation has a specific custody-and-transfer permission, while certain already-regulated entities may use a non-objection route where the regulation allows it.
What this means
Crypto custody is not one universal UAE activity. Custody of payment tokens can engage the CBUAE, while custody of other virtual assets may fall under VARA, the FSRA, the DFSA or the UAE CMA depending on territory and asset type.
Map the asset and location before choosing a custody licence: holding private keys for an investment token is not automatically the same regulatory service as safeguarding a CBUAE Payment Token.
Official sources
CBUAE — Payment Token Services 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.