Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA)
Do I need VARA approval to market crypto services in Dubai?
Content reviewed 2026-08-14 · How we check sources
Short answer
VARA marketing rules apply to marketing of virtual assets and virtual-asset activities in or targeting the UAE from the Dubai perimeter. Marketing of a regulated VA activity must generally be by, or on behalf of and approved by, a VARA-licensed VASP, subject to the specific exemptions and conditions in the rules.
What this means
Marketing compliance is separate from the underlying service licence. A foreign platform cannot treat advertising into Dubai as outside the perimeter simply because onboarding or execution occurs elsewhere.
VARA also provides limited exemptions for specified educational, journalistic and event activity, but those exemptions do not permit an unlicensed entity to carry out the regulated VA activity itself.
Official sources
VARA — Marketing Regulations ↗VARA — Frequently Asked Questions ↗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.