ARP Digital Secures Dubai VARA Approval for Broker-Dealer Operations

ARP Digital has secured in-principle approval from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to operate as a broker-dealer, marking an important step towards expanding its Gulf operations. The approval was granted on April 28, and while ARP Digital still needs to satisfy VARA's full licensing requirements, it opens the door for the firm to facilitate regulated conversions of digital assets and stablecoins into UAE dirhams.

The company, backed by one of the Gulf's oldest merchant families, already holds a Category 3 license from the Central Bank of Bahrain, which it secured in 2024. This license has allowed ARP Digital to build out its FLOW platform, designed for institutional over-the-counter liquidity, cross-border settlement, and currency conversion services.

With an existing client base of over 450 institutions and corporates, ARP Digital has processed over $3.5 billion in transaction volume. The firm also reported a notable 4x year-on-year volume growth in 2025. Once fully licensed by VARA, ARP Digital would be able to offer institutional-grade on-ramp and off-ramp services between crypto and the UAE's national currency.