Global Crypto Licensing Tracker: Regulators by Jurisdiction

Which regulator authorises virtual-asset firms in each country, what the authorisation actually permits, and which firms already hold one. Compiled from primary regulatory sources only — regulator rulebooks, official public registers, legislation and gazettes. No consultancy marketing, no referral fees, no paid placements.

Last verified 7 August 2026.

Most licensing guides are written by firms that sell licences. This one is not. Cryptonite is an independent publication with no commercial relationship to any law firm, corporate-services provider or applicant. Where a regulator does not publish a figure, we say so rather than estimating it — the gaps are part of the data.

Table of Contents

Licensing regimes at a glance

Jurisdiction	Regulator	Authorisation	Min. capital	Decision timeline	Local presence	Public register
UAE — Dubai	VARA	Activity-specific VASP licence (7 categories)	Varies by category — see guide	See guide	Yes — Dubai entity + office	Yes — 50+ firms tracked
UAE — Abu Dhabi	ADGM / FSRA	Virtual-asset FSP licence	See regulator	Not published as a fixed period	Yes — ADGM entity	Yes — covered in our 5-regulator register
UAE — DIFC	DFSA	Crypto Token regime	See regulator	Not published as a fixed period	Yes — DIFC entity	Yes — recognised-token list
New Zealand	FMA / DIA	FSPR registration + AML/CFT supervision	None specified	See guide	Yes — minimum business presence test	Yes — FSPR
Georgia	National Bank of Georgia	VASP registration (7 service categories)	Not published for ordinary VASPs	60 days, extendable once by 60	Yes — Georgian LLC or JSC + registered office	Yes — 42 registered
European Union	National competent authorities	MiCA CASP authorisation (passportable)	€50k–€150k by class	Set by MiCA	Yes — EU establishment	Yes — ESMA register
Hong Kong	SFC	VATP licence (SFO + AMLO)	HK$5m paid-up	No published standard	Yes — HK entity, 2 ROs	Yes — 13 licensed
Australia	AUSTRAC + ASIC	VASP registration + possible AFS licence	None for registration	Up to 90 days	Yes	Yes — count not published
Portugal	Banco de Portugal / CMVM	MiCA CASP	Page in preparation
Singapore	MAS	DPT licence under PS Act	Page in preparation

Figures marked “see guide” or “see regulator” are published on the jurisdiction page or by the authority itself and are not summarised here to avoid stripping context. Blank cells mean the regulator does not publish the figure — not that the requirement is zero.

Middle East and North Africa

The most complete section of this tracker, and the one updated most often. The UAE operates the Gulf’s most developed framework: Dubai’s VARA, Abu Dhabi’s ADGM/FSRA and the DIFC’s DFSA each issue full virtual-asset authorisations, while the federal SCA and the UAE Central Bank cover national rules and payment tokens.

Licences granted, as reported: Binance (VARA) · Bybit (SCA) · QCP Capital (ADGM) · Bitcoin Suisse (ADGM) · Oobit (ADGM) · Flipster (VARA)

Europe

Europe crypto and MiCA timeline 2026 — licences, banks and tokenised assets
KuCoin — MiCA licence, Austria
Zodia Custody — MiCA licence, Luxembourg
DZ Bank — MiCAR authorisation, Germany
Ripple — FCA registration, United Kingdom

Asia-Pacific

Americas

How this tracker is maintained

Primary sources only. Regulator websites, official public registers, national legislation and gazettes. Corporate-services and law-firm marketing pages are never used as sources — they are the marketing of firms selling the thing we are describing.
Gaps are stated, not filled. Where an authority does not publish a fee, a capital minimum or a timeline, the entry says so and links to where a reader should check. We do not estimate regulatory figures.
Every page carries a “Last verified” date. MENA entries are reviewed monthly; other jurisdictions quarterly, and immediately when a regulator announces a change.
Corrections are public. If a regulator or a market participant believes an entry is wrong, we will check it against the primary source and correct it under our corrections policy.
No commercial relationships. Cryptonite takes no referral fees, sells no placement in this tracker or any register on this site, and has no arrangement with any law firm, corporate-services provider or applicant. See our ownership and funding and ethics policies.

This is a reference, not legal advice. Regulatory requirements change and jurisdiction-specific detail matters. Confirm anything material with the regulator directly or with a locally-qualified adviser before acting.

Cite this tracker

Journalists, analysts and researchers are welcome to cite this tracker. A link back to this page is appreciated so readers reach the current version.

Cryptonite. "Global Crypto Licensing Tracker." Cryptonite (cryptonite.ae), last verified 7 August 2026.
https://cryptonite.ae/crypto-licensing/

Maintained by Vaibhavv Ali, founder and editor of Cryptonite, from Dubai. For data questions, corrections or comment on deadline, see the press page.

Frequently asked questions

Which countries require a crypto licence?

Most major financial jurisdictions now require either a licence or a registration before a firm can exchange, custody, transfer or manage virtual assets. The instrument differs: Dubai’s VARA issues activity-specific VASP licences, the EU operates a single MiCA authorisation passportable across member states, New Zealand requires FSPR registration plus AML/CFT supervision, and Georgia requires registration with the National Bank of Georgia. This tracker records which authority applies where, and what the authorisation actually permits.

What is the difference between a crypto licence and a VASP registration?

A licence generally implies prudential supervision — the regulator assesses capital, governance and consumer protection before authorising, and supervises on an ongoing basis. A registration is usually narrower: it confirms an entity is known to the authority and subject to AML/CFT obligations, without full prudential oversight. Georgia’s National Bank states explicitly that its VASP regime covers registration and AML/CFT but excludes prudential regulation and consumer-protection supervision. The distinction matters for what protection a customer actually has.

How is this tracker maintained?

From primary sources only — regulator sites, official registers, legislation and gazettes. Consultancy marketing is never a source. Each jurisdiction page carries a “Last verified” date, and where a figure is not published by the regulator we say so rather than estimating it.

Can I use this tracker to choose where to get licensed?

It is a reference, not advice. Cryptonite takes no referral fees, sells no placements and has no commercial relationship with any law firm or corporate-services provider. Confirm anything material with the regulator or a locally-qualified adviser.

How many VASPs are licensed in Dubai?

Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority has passed 50 licensed VASPs. We maintain a live tracker of VARA-licensed firms, and a separate register covering licensed virtual-asset firms across all five UAE regulators.

Weekly changes: every Friday we log what each MENA regulator changed, with a primary source per line, in the MENA Regulatory Radar.