Only platforms with a VARA licence for exchange services appear on this page. The UAE licenses crypto platforms through three regulators: the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) in Dubai, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) in Abu Dhabi Global Market and the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) for the rest of the country. This page uses the VARA public register, where a platform needs a full VASP licence, not only an in-principle approval, before it may serve clients. Of the exchanges we cover, Binance (Binance FZE, licensed 15 April 2024), Crypto.com (Foris DAX Middle East FZE, 3 April 2024), OKX (OKX Middle East Fintech FZE, 17 September 2024), Gate (Gate Technology FZE, 25 April 2025), Backpack (Trek Labs Ltd FZE, 30 October 2023) and Bybit (Bybit Fintech FZE, 20 October 2026) hold VARA licences for exchange services.
How this page is ordered. The ranking below shows the 6 exchanges we cover that hold a VARA licence for exchange services for the United Arab Emirates, ordered by CoinGecko trust rank, the same rank we use on every ranking page. Licence status comes first: an exchange that is not on the register is not listed, whatever its size and whether or not it is a partner. The licensed entity, the regulator and the date for each one are in the licence record lower on this page. If you want a shortlist by fees and features instead, the Exchange Finder applies the same licence rule. This page carries no partner links: every button leads to our review.
Not listed, and why. VARA fined MX Global, which runs MEXC, on 22 June 2026 for providing exchange or broker-dealer services in Dubai without a licence from 2022 to April 2026 (VARA notice), and fined Peken Global, which runs KuCoin, on 24 June 2026 for the same breach (VARA notice). Kraken (Payward FZCO) holds a VARA licence of 6 October 2026 for broker-dealer and management services, not for exchange services, so it is not ranked here. Bitget, BingX, Bitstamp and Coinbase are not on the VARA register. BitOasis, Rain and the other licensed platforms we do not review yet are on the register.
How to check any platform yourself: search the VARA public register for the company name and check that its status is Active and that it holds a full VASP licence for the service you want, not an in-principle approval; for Abu Dhabi, check the FSRA public register. If the company is not there, it may not serve you.
See every exchange and country we have checked in our crypto exchange licence tracker, with the data to download.
Sources: VARA public register (read 3 November 2026); VARA Notices of Fines of 22 June 2026 (MX Global, MEXC) and 24 June 2026 (Peken Global, KuCoin). Checked 3 November 2026.
Compare crypto exchanges by licence, fees and features
Updated · Rankings data refreshed (CoinGecko)
This page lists the 6 exchanges we cover that hold a VARA licence for exchange services for the United Arab Emirates, in trust-rank order, with the licensed entity, the regulator and the date for each one. Use the comparison tool to set any two or three of them side by side on fees, coins and funding, and the rules block above to see who is not listed and why. Deposits in UAE dirham are covered lower on the page. Trading crypto involves risk; nothing here is financial, legal or investment advice.
| # | Exchange | Trust rank | 24h volume | Founded | Markets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OKX | #3 | $1.88B | 2017 | Spot, Derivatives |
| 2 | Binance | #4 | $5.84B | 2017 | Spot, Derivatives |
| 3 | Gate | #6 | $1.72B | 2013 | Spot, Derivatives |
| 4 | Crypto.com Exchange | #9 | $692.5M | 2019 | Spot, Derivatives |
| 5 | Bybit | #37 | $2.38B | 2018 | Spot, Derivatives |
| 6 | Backpack Exchange | #60 | $9.8M | 2023 | Spot |
Licence first. This page lists only the 6 exchanges we cover that hold a VARA licence for exchange services for the United Arab Emirates, in CoinGecko trust-rank order. An exchange that is not on the register is left out whatever its size, and whether or not it is a partner. The licence record for each one is in the table lower on this page.
The exchanges on this page are chosen and ranked using ExchangeCatalogue’s independent review framework – we look at security, regulation, fees, products, user experience, and overall fit for this specific use case or region.
Some platforms may be our partners, but no exchange can pay to change its score or ranking. Sponsorship can affect visibility (for example, “featured” labels), not how we rate risk or quality.
This page is for information only and is not financial or investment advice. Always do your own research.
See our Affiliate & Advertising Disclosure, Methodology and Risk Disclosure for full details.
This page lists only the 6 exchanges we cover that hold a VARA licence for exchange services for the United Arab Emirates, in CoinGecko trust-rank order. See the crypto exchange licence tracker for every licence we check, our Q4 2026 licence gap report for the numbers across 40 countries, or more rankings and lists.
Use our Exchange Finder Tool to get a personalized recommendation.
Dirham deposits run through local bank transfers and debit cards at the licensed platforms, after identity verification with an Emirates ID or a passport; the options differ by platform. The licensed platforms work in English, and several also offer Arabic. Deposit limits and processing times depend on the method and on your verification level, and the name on your bank account must match the name on your exchange account.
A VARA licence means the platform has met VARA's capital, custody, technology and conduct rules for the services named on its licence and is supervised in Dubai. It does not protect you against price falls, and crypto on a platform is not a bank deposit covered by any UAE protection scheme.
The UAE does not tax individuals on income or capital gains, so personal gains from crypto are not taxed; companies can owe the 9 percent corporate tax, and transfers of virtual assets are exempt from VAT. The authority is the Federal Tax Authority (FTA). Rules change often, so confirm the current rate and your reporting duties before you file. This is general information, not tax advice.
Every exchange in the ranking, in A to Z order, with the entity that holds the licence, the authority and the date. The record comes from the registers named in the rules block at the top of this page and is refreshed when the weekly register check reports a change.
| Exchange | Licensed entity | Licensed or registered by | Since | Reference and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backpack Exchange | Trek Labs Ltd FZE | the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Dubai | 2023-10-30 | VL/23/07/001; exchange services |
| Binance | Binance FZE | the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Dubai | 2024-04-15 | VL/24/04/001; exchange services (including VA derivatives), broker-dealer, management and investment, lending and borrowing |
| Bybit | Bybit Fintech FZE | the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Dubai | 2026-10-20 | VL/26/10/003; exchange services |
| Crypto.com Exchange | Foris DAX Middle East FZE | the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Dubai | 2024-04-03 | VL/23/10/003; exchange services (including VA derivatives), broker-dealer, management and investment, lending and borrowing |
| Gate | Gate Technology FZE | the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Dubai | 2025-04-25 | VL/25/04/007; exchange services |
| OKX | OKX Middle East Fintech FZE | the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Dubai | 2024-09-17 | VL/23/12/003; exchange services (including VA derivatives), broker-dealer, management and investment, lending and borrowing |
Licence record checked 3 November 2026. This page carries no partner links: every button leads to our review.
