Flowdesk secures full Dubai broker-dealer licence

Flowdesk has secured a full broker-dealer licence from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, allowing its local entity to provide regulated digital-asset services to qualified and institutional investors from the emirate.

The authorisation for Flowdesk Omega FZE completes a regulatory process that moved from in-principle approval in June to full licensing in August. It gives the digital-asset trading and technology company an operating base under Dubai’s specialised virtual-asset framework as it expands services for professional market participants in the Middle East.

The licence covers broker-dealer services, a regulated category that includes arranging transactions and providing execution and liquidity-related services within the boundaries set by VARA. Firms carrying out regulated virtual-asset activities in or from Dubai must obtain authorisation before commencing operations, except within the Dubai International Financial Centre, which has a separate regulatory regime.

Flowdesk said the Dubai operation will focus on qualified and institutional investors, reinforcing the company’s emphasis on professional counterparties rather than mass-market retail trading. Its business combines liquidity provision, over-the-counter trading and proprietary technology designed to connect institutions and token issuers with digital-asset markets.

Chief executive and co-founder Guilhem Chaumont said the full licence reflected work undertaken across governance, compliance, risk management and market infrastructure. He said Dubai had become an important part of Flowdesk’s expansion strategy as the UAE develops into a major centre for regulated virtual-asset activity.

The Dubai approval comes weeks after Flowdesk Europe received Crypto-Asset Service Provider authorisation from France’s Autorité des Marchés Financiers under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation. That authorisation became effective from June 30 and enables the company to offer approved crypto-asset services across the EU through MiCA’s passporting framework.

The combination of VARA and MiCA authorisations gives Flowdesk regulated platforms in two jurisdictions that have adopted comprehensive licensing systems for digital-asset businesses. MiCA imposes common requirements across the EU covering authorisation, governance, disclosures and supervision, while Dubai has established separate categories for activities including broker-dealer, exchange, custody, lending, investment management and transfer services.

Flowdesk’s European entity holds MiCA registration number A2026-022. The authorisation followed its earlier status as a registered Digital Asset Service Provider in France. The regulatory transition has gained importance as European authorities completed the shift from national registration regimes towards the bloc-wide MiCA system during 2026.

The company has also been expanding its capital base and institutional product range. It completed a $102 million equity financing round in 2025 and outlined plans to invest further in trading infrastructure, compliance, legal functions, over-the-counter derivatives and credit services. Dubai was identified as one of its planned expansion locations during that programme.

Flowdesk now employs more than 200 people globally and provides trading coverage across more than 150 exchange venues. Its investors include BlackRock-linked funds, Cathay Innovation and Coinbase Ventures, alongside other financial and technology investors. The company operates from several international locations, with Paris, Singapore, the United States and Dubai forming part of its global footprint.

Its Dubai disclosures state that broker-dealer operations may involve acting as principal or agent depending on the service and contractual arrangement. Client orders can be routed to external exchanges and market makers, while virtual assets held for customers are required to remain segregated from the company’s proprietary assets. Flowdesk also warns clients that digital assets can be highly volatile and may expose investors to liquidity, technology, counterparty and cybersecurity risks.

VARA requires licensed providers to maintain compliance with the specific rulebooks governing each authorised activity. The regulator also separates licensed client-facing activities from proprietary trading, requiring companies conducting proprietary trading to operate through a separate structure and obtain the necessary regulatory clearance.