{"id":201,"date":"2026-02-16T16:56:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T16:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/?p=201"},"modified":"2026-02-16T16:57:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T16:57:28","slug":"animoca-brands-secures-strategic-vasp-license-from-dubais-vara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/?p=201","title":{"rendered":"Animoca Brands Secures Strategic VASP License from Dubai\u2019s VARA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Hong Kong-based Web3 giant Animoca Brands<\/strong> has officially obtained a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license in Dubai. This regulatory milestone, granted by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA)<\/strong>, empowers the company to significantly scale its presence within the Middle East\u2019s burgeoning digital asset market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expansion of Regulated Services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The license, which became effective on February 5, authorizes Animoca Brands to operate as a regulated entity providing broker-dealer and investment management services<\/strong> for virtual assets. These services will be conducted from Dubai\u2019s mainland and free zones, targeting a specific tier of clients:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Institutional Investors:<\/strong> Global organizations looking for regulated Web3 exposure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Qualified Investors:<\/strong> High-net-worth individuals and professional entities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Omar Elassar, Managing Director for the Middle East at Animoca Brands, noted that the license provides a “well-regulated framework” to deepen partnerships with Web3 foundations and institutional players globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A Growing Web3 Powerhouse<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    As a leading developer and investor in the decentralized space, Animoca Brands oversees a massive ecosystem that includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Core Projects:<\/strong> The Sandbox, Moca Network, and Open Campus.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Investment Portfolio:<\/strong> Over 600 companies<\/strong> and digital asset initiatives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Recent Acquisitions:<\/strong> In January, the firm acquired Somo<\/strong>, further integrating playable digital collectibles into its expansive blockchain gaming portfolio.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Dubai\u2019s Regulatory Landscape<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Animoca Brands joins a growing list of industry leaders, such as BitGo<\/strong>, in choosing Dubai as a regional hub. Since its inception in 2022, VARA has maintained a strict oversight environment. The regulator recently issued penalties against 19 firms for unlicensed activities, signaling that while Dubai is open for business, compliance with marketing and operational standards is non-negotiable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The Hong Kong-based Web3 giant Animoca Brands has officially obtained a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-last-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=201"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202,"href":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201\/revisions\/202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stblock.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}