{
  "id": 13925683,
  "title": "Kraken parent clears Dubai’s final hurdle for dirham trading rollout",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/kraken-parent-clears-dubais-final-hurdle-for-dirham-trading-rollout",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-12T09:41:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Cointelegraph",
    "slug": "cointelegraph",
    "url": "https://cointelegraph.com/news/kraken-receives-vara-approval-uae-expansion"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has secured final market approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to expand its digital asset services in the UAE. This authorization follows a preliminary approval granted in May 2026. With VARA's approval, Payward's local entity, Payward FZCO, will now be able to provide crypto services, including spot and margin trading in UAE dirham (AED)-denominated pairs and direct deposit withdrawals. The company aims to launch these services in the coming weeks, targeting retail, professional, and institutional investors. The approval, granted on October 6, enables Payward to offer management, investment, and broker-dealer services. Dubai's VARA currently lists 58 licensed providers, showing the growing popularity of crypto services in the region. Other financial institutions, such as banks and brokers, are also expanding their crypto offerings under various regulatory regimes in the UAE. In September, Standard Chartered launched spot Bitcoin and Ether trading for institutional clients through its Dubai International Financial Centre branch, regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority. In August, Capital.com announced plans to offer spot crypto services to UAE clients after its affiliate, Capital Vault, obtained a virtual-asset license from the Capital Market Authority (CMA).",
  "summary": "Payward received full market approval from Dubai’s VARA to expand its digital asset services in the UAE, building on the preliminary approval received in May.",
  "key_points": [
    "Payward secures final VARA approval for dirham trading in UAE.",
    "Payward FZCO to offer spot, margin trading, direct deposits.",
    "Launch aims to target retail, professional, institutional investors."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}