Capital.com is set to expand cryptocurrency investing in the UAE, with clients soon able to buy and hold digital assets directly through its app.
The expansion follows Capital Vault Virtual Services L.L.C – S.P.C., an affiliate of Capital.com, receiving a full virtual-asset licence from the UAE’s Capital Market Authority (CMA).
The licence allows Capital Vault UAE to deal in virtual assets as an agent or matching principal and provide custody services on behalf of clients. The company is among the first firms to receive a licence under the CMA’s virtual-asset regulatory framework.
Once the new service launches, Capital.com customers in the UAE will be able to purchase crypto-assets outright rather than only gaining exposure to cryptocurrency price movements through derivatives.
Capital Vault will provide the underlying regulated infrastructure, including execution, settlement and custody of clients’ virtual assets. It operates from an office in Abu Dhabi and is building a local team focused specifically on digital assets.
The UAE authorisation follows Capital Vault Europe’s approval under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework in December 2025.
Capital Vault operates as a separate regulated entity from Capital.com’s other businesses, with its own governance, custody and risk arrangements.
Rahul Kumar, CEO of Capital Vault UAE, said the company’s UAE presence was “pivotal” to its plans, highlighting the country’s developing regulatory framework for digital assets.
Tarik Chebib, CEO MENA at Capital.com, said demand from existing clients had helped drive the expansion.
“Capital.com clients across the region have been asking for a straightforward, regulated way to buy and hold virtual-assets alongside the markets they already trade,” Chebib said.
The development is significant for Capital.com because it broadens the group’s offering beyond leveraged trading products and into direct ownership of digital assets.
For UAE investors, it means Capital.com is moving towards becoming a platform where customers can both trade traditional financial markets and own crypto-assets through a regulated custody structure.
Capital Vault said further virtual-asset products are planned, although details and launch dates have yet to be announced.
Richard is the founder of the Good Money Guide (formerly Good Broker Guide), one of the original investment comparison sites established in 2015. With a career spanning two decades as a broker, he brings extensive expertise and knowledge to the financial landscape.
Having worked as a broker at Investors Intelligence and a multi-asset derivatives broker at MF Global (Man Financial), Richard has acquired substantial experience in the industry. His career began as a private client stockbroker at Walker Crips and Phillip Securities (now King and Shaxson), following internships on the NYMEX oil trading floor in New York and London IPE in 2001 and 2000.
Richard’s contributions and expertise have been recognized by respected publications such as The Sunday Times, BusinessInsider, Yahoo Finance, BusinessNews.org.uk, Master Investor, Wealth Briefing, iNews, and The FT, among many others.
Under Richard’s leadership, the Good Money Guide has evolved into a valuable destination for comprehensive information and expert guidance, specialising in trading, investment, and currency exchange. His commitment to delivering high-quality insights has solidified the Good Money Guide’s standing as a well-respected resource for both customers and industry colleagues.
