Flowdesk receives VARA license to expand crypto services in Dubai

Flowdesk Omega FZE, the Dubai subsidiary of French digital asset firm Flowdesk, secured a full broker-dealer license from Dubai's Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) on August 10, 2026. This approval, following an in-principle nod in June 2026, allows Flowdesk to offer digital asset services to institutional and qualified investors in Dubai. Backed by a $102 million funding round in 2025 from investors like BlackRock and Coinbase Ventures, Flowdesk is expanding globally, having also secured MiCA compliance in Europe.

VARA broker-dealer license approval

• ▪The Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority license allows Flowdesk Omega FZE to offer digital asset broker-dealer services to qualified and institutional investors in and from Dubai.
• ▪The full license approval on August 10, 2026, follows an in-principle approval that Flowdesk Omega FZE received from Dubai's Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority in June 2026.
• ▪Flowdesk Omega FZE, the Dubai subsidiary of French digital asset firm Flowdesk, received a full virtual asset broker-dealer license from Dubai's Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority on August 10, 2026.

Flowdesk institutional expansion strategy

• ▪Flowdesk maintains global offices in France, Singapore, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.
• ▪Flowdesk, which operates as a liquidity provider specializing in institutional over-the-counter trading and market-making, is backed by investors including BlackRock, Cathay Innovation, and Coinbase Ventures.
• ▪Flowdesk raised $102 million in a financing round in March 2025, with a portion of the capital earmarked for expanding its operations and opening offices in the United Arab Emirates.

Regulatory compliance across jurisdictions

• ▪The Markets in Crypto-Assets authorization allows Flowdesk Europe to passport its digital asset services across European Union member states.
• ▪Flowdesk Group CEO Guilhem Chaumont stated that securing regulatory licenses in both Dubai and Europe represents a key milestone in the firm's compliance-focused expansion.
• ▪Flowdesk Europe secured Crypto-Asset Service Provider status under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, effective June 30, 2026.

Dubai virtual asset regulatory landscape

• ▪Dubai houses more than 50% of the licensed virtual asset service providers in the United Arab Emirates.
• ▪Virtual asset service providers in the United Arab Emirates are also regulated by the Abu Dhabi Global Market, the UAE Capital Markets Authority, and the Dubai International Financial Centre.