Scope of Work
In the UAE, virtual assets have moved from the margins of the economy to the centre of policy. Dubai established the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) as a dedicated regulator for virtual-asset activities in the Emirate; the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) exercises the federal mandate; and the financial free zones maintain frameworks of their own. The result is a regulatory environment rich in opportunity, yet layered and fast-moving, one in which no serious decision should be taken without a clear map.
We work at the point where that accelerating regulation meets our clients' ambitions: identifying the most suitable licensing pathway for a platform or project, building a legal structure that fits the nature of the token or service, and drafting contracts and policies in language that reassures regulator and investor alike.
And when disputes arise, fraud on a platform, assets vanished from a wallet, a custody arrangement breached, we move on both fronts, tracing and litigation, informed by a working understanding of blockchain ledgers and the paths assets travel across them.
What We Do
- Advising on the most suitable licensing pathway before Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), and on the federal remit of the Securities and Commodities Authority.
- Structuring token issuances and virtual-asset ventures, and reviewing their constitutional and offering documentation before launch.
- Drafting and negotiating exchange, trading and custody arrangements for digital assets.
- Building AML/KYC compliance frameworks and the internal policies that support them.
- Crypto disputes and fraud claims, and the tracing and recovery of digital assets.
- Commercial terms for NFT projects and Web3 applications.
- Establishing DLT foundations and selecting the structuring vehicle appropriate to each project.
- Representation in regulatory correspondence and enquiries, and management of continuing obligations after the licence is granted.
- Legal due diligence for investors before committing to virtual-asset ventures.
Our Approach
In a field whose regulatory framework changes in months rather than years, yesterday's text is not to be relied upon. Every matter begins with fresh research into the legislation, regulations and rulebooks currently in force, and ends with candid advice: what is open today, what requires a licence, and what we do not consider legally sound, however commercially attractive it may appear.
Because this industry writes in English and litigates before authorities that work in Arabic, we prepare documents and submissions in both languages to the same standard of precision, and we remain at our clients' side after the licence is granted, not merely up to it. In this field, compliance is a continuing process, not a milestone passed once.