Updated weekly · Last update: 9 November 2026 · Regulatory Gate · Data from the Central Bank of the UAE's website
See all five: UAE regulator tracker
Short answer. The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) fined a branch of a foreign bank AED 200 million on 30 October 2026 for repeated AML and sanctions failures. Three new regulations took effect in September 2026, including an Operational Risk Management Regulation for all licensed firms. CBUAE's online register lists 266 licence entries as of 9 November 2026, and its September 2026 insurance list has 439 more.
Latest regulatory updates
| Date | Type | Update and who it affects | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Nov 2026 | Supervisory priorities | CBUAE sets out its 2027 priorities. Bank and insurer CEOs heard the 2027 to 2029 strategy. Focus areas: suitability, governance, operational and cyber resilience, fraud, and thematic reviews of digital assets and AI in banking. | Press release |
| 30 Oct 2026 | Enforcement | AED 200 million penalty on a branch of a foreign bank. Examinations found repeated AML/CFT, governance, compliance and sanctions failures. CBUAE also fined the branch's chief executive and head of compliance, and ordered a remediation programme under independent validation. | Press release |
| 28 Oct 2026 | Monetary policy | Base Rate held at 3.9%. | Press release |
| 11 Oct 2026 | Deadline | Remuneration gap reports due. Banks and insurers had 180 days from 14 April 2026 to report how their pay frameworks meet the Remuneration Regulation (C 5/2026), with an action plan. | Rulebook |
| 23 Sep 2026 | Enforcement | Bank Melli Iran's UAE branches barred from Iran business. They may not process any transaction to or from Iran, including trade finance and transfers. Examinations found AML/CFT/CPF violations. | Press release |
| 16 Sep 2026 | Deadline | One year to comply with the new CBUAE Law ends. Article 184 of Federal Decree-Law No. 6 of 2025 gave firms one year from 16 September 2025. The Board may extend it. | Rulebook |
| 16 Sep 2026 | Monetary policy | Base Rate raised 25 basis points to 3.9%, effective 17 September 2026. | Press release |
| 14 Sep 2026 | Regulation in force | Operational Risk Management Regulation (C 1/2026). All licensed financial institutions need a framework for operational risk and operational resilience. It replaces Circular 163/2018. | Rulebook |
| 14 Sep 2026 | Regulation in force | New Regulation Regarding Takaful Insurance. It replaces the 2022 regulation. A Takaful insurer not fully compliant must file a compliance plan. | Rulebook |
| 13 Sep 2026 | Regulation in force | SME Customer Protection Regulation (C 2/2026). Banks and finance companies get conduct rules for SME customers. It replaces Circular 1/2021. | Rulebook |
| 29 Aug 2026 | Supervisory statement | Banque Misr UAE branches under special examination. CBUAE ordered a forensic lookback after a US proposal of a special measure. It warned banks not to expose the UAE to reputational risk. | Statement |
| 17 Aug 2026 | Report | Financial Stability Report 2025 published. | Report |
| 14 Aug 2026 | Regulation in force | Insurance Company Licensing Regulation (C 4/2026). New licensing rules for insurers and foreign insurer branches. CBUAE decides within 60 business days once all conditions are met. | Rulebook |
Coming up
- 14 July 2027. Bank and insurer pay frameworks must fully comply with the Remuneration Regulation. Existing contracts must be reviewed. Rulebook
- 15 July 2027. Three Takaful standards take effect: Wakala requirements, Takaful fund controls and the Takaful operational model.
Register by category
Banks, finance and payment firms. From CBUAE's online register on 9 November 2026.
| Licence type | Entries |
|---|---|
| Bank | 63 |
| Exchange Business | 63 |
| Representative Office | 53 |
| Retail Payment Services | 39 |
| Stored Value Facility | 23 |
| Finance Company | 20 |
| Dirham Payment Token Issuance | 3 |
| Payment Token Conversion | 1 |
| Payment Token Custody and Transfer | 1 |
| Total | 266 |
Insurance. From CBUAE's insurance list dated September 2026.
| Licence type | Entries |
|---|---|
| Insurance broker | 151 |
| Loss and damage adjuster | 98 |
| Actuarial | 57 |
| Insurance company (22 national, 23 foreign, 9 takaful) | 54 |
| Insurance consultancy | 32 |
| Third party administrator | 17 |
| Insurance agent | 15 |
| Price comparison website | 15 |
| Total | 439 |
The register shows current entries only. It gives no status or licence date. Some firms hold more than one licence, so entries outnumber firms.
Virtual assets
- No virtual asset licence type. CBUAE's register has no category for virtual asset service providers.
- Five payment token entries, held by four firms. CBUAE licenses payment tokens under its Payment Token Services Regulation, in force since 31 August 2024.
| Firm | Licence type |
|---|---|
| AED StableCoin L.L.C - S.P.C | Dirham Payment Token Issuance |
| Zand Trust L.L.C S.O.C | Dirham Payment Token Issuance |
| AEDC Stable Coin-L.L.C | Dirham Payment Token Issuance |
| AEDC Stable Coin Network And Distribution - L.L.C | Payment Token Conversion; Payment Token Custody and Transfer |
- A thematic review covers token firms. CBUAE's May 2026 AML/CFT/CPF thematic review covers stored value, retail payment and payment token providers.
- Digital assets are a 2027 focus. CBUAE named thematic reviews of digital assets in banking among its 2027 topics.
New licences in 2026
CBUAE's register gives no licence dates, so we cannot count by month. Each entry carries an identification number that includes a year. Twenty-one entries, for 16 institutions, carry 2026.
| Licence type | Entries carrying 2026 |
|---|---|
| Retail Payment Services | 8 |
| Stored Value Facility | 6 |
| Bank | 2 |
| Payment token (all three types) | 3 |
| Finance Company | 1 |
| Representative Office | 1 |
| Total | 21 |
| Institution | Licence type |
|---|---|
| Reem Community Bank P.S.C | Bank |
| Iraqi Islamic Bank for Investment & Development | Bank |
| Name not shown on the register (ID 02.01.01.027.2026.02) | Finance Company |
| Foris DAX Middle East FZE | Stored Value Facility |
| Revolut Stored Value Services L.L.C | Stored Value Facility; Retail Payment Services |
| T T S Financial Services Middle East L.L.C. | Stored Value Facility; Retail Payment Services |
| Remitly Fintech Services - L.L.C - S.P.C | Stored Value Facility |
| H A Q Kamel Pay Services L.L.C | Stored Value Facility; Retail Payment Services |
| AIAE Services for Payments -L.L.C-S.P.C | Stored Value Facility; Retail Payment Services |
| National Bank for Foreign Economic Activity of the Republic of Uzbekistan | Representative Office |
| MBME PAY Payment Services Provider-Sole Proprietorship L.L.C | Retail Payment Services |
| IDFAA Payment Services L.L.C | Retail Payment Services |
| Adyen MEA FZ-LLC | Retail Payment Services |
| Ziina Payment L.L.C | Retail Payment Services |
| AEDC Stable Coin-L.L.C | Dirham Payment Token Issuance |
| AEDC Stable Coin Network And Distribution - L.L.C | Payment Token Conversion; Payment Token Custody and Transfer |
Licensing announcements
CBUAE issued no press release on a licence grant, withdrawal or cancellation between 1 May and 9 November 2026. The most recent was on 23 December 2025: CBUAE revoked the licence of Omda Exchange and imposed an AED 10 million sanction.
| Date | Announcement | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Dec 2025 | Licence of Omda Exchange revoked; AED 10 million sanction | Press release |
Update history
| Date | Register entries | Insurance list entries | Payment token entries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 2026 | 266 | 439 | 5 |
How we count
- Source. We read the CBUAE Register on CBUAE's licensing page with no filters, and the insurance list PDF linked there. Updates come from CBUAE press releases and the CBUAE Rulebook's update log.
- Dates. Regulations are dated by their effective date in the Rulebook. Press items use CBUAE's publication date. The "2026" licence list uses the year inside each register identification number. CBUAE does not explain that field, so treat it as a guide.
- Coverage. The register shows current entries only. A firm no longer listed is not counted. We name firms, not individuals.
- Use. You may reuse these figures with credit to Regulatory Gate and a link to this page.
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