Updated weekly · Last update: 9 November 2026 · Regulatory Gate · Data from the DFSA's website
See all five: UAE regulator tracker
Short answer. The DFSA's latest rule changes were published on 1 October 2026. Prudential changes took effect on 2 October 2026. Conduct, Islamic finance and glossary changes take effect on 1 January 2027. The DFSA's public register lists 999 authorised firms as of 9 November 2026. Of these, 133 received their licence in 2026, and 16 hold permissions that cover crypto tokens.
Latest regulatory updates
From 1 August to 9 November 2026. Most recent first.
| Date | Type | Update and who it affects | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Oct 2026 | Enforcement | Moody's Investors Service Middle East Limited fined USD 585,825. The firm failed to keep adequate controls to protect confidential data. It reported seven accidental disclosures between December 2023 and May 2026. Relevant to credit rating agencies and any firm holding client data. | DFSA |
| 20 Oct 2026 | Public alerts | Two alerts. Adaa Financial Services falsely claimed to be DFSA-regulated. Scammers used the DFSA's name in a cryptocurrency recovery scam. | DFSA |
| 6 Oct 2026 | Enforcement | Decision Notice on Hayman-Woodward Global Mobility Services (DIFC) LTD. Financial penalty of USD 454,367.05. This includes USD 242,800 of fees given up, USD 48,000 of unpaid DFSA fees plus interest, and a USD 157,920 fine after a 30% settlement discount. | DFSA |
| 5 Oct 2026 | Feedback statement | CP 174, Part 1. Final changes for credit rating agencies and prudential reporting. The CP 174 crypto token and investment token proposals are deferred. | DFSA |
| 1 Oct 2026 | Rule changes | Notice of Amendments to Legislation: October 2026. PIB changes in force on 2 October 2026. COB, Islamic Finance Rules and Glossary changes in force on 1 January 2027. They follow CP 172 (Islamic finance) and CP 174. Relevant to all authorised firms, especially Islamic windows and credit rating agencies. | DFSA |
| 1 Oct 2026 | Enforcement | Vault Wealth Limited fined USD 109,200. The ADGM firm, licensed by the FSRA, advised and arranged deals in or from the DIFC without DFSA authorisation between February and May 2024. Relevant to firms licensed elsewhere in the UAE that serve clients from the DIFC. | DFSA |
| 8 to 29 Sep 2026 | Public alerts | Seven alerts. Scammers impersonated the DFSA in advance fee, blockchain settlement and recruitment scams. Others impersonated authorised firms XTB MENA Limited and GWP Management Limited, and a DIFC firm. A firm called Fin falsely claimed DFSA regulation. | DFSA |
| 7 Sep 2026 | Consultation closed | CP 173 on the Collective Investment Funds framework. Comments closed. No final rules had been published by 9 November 2026. Relevant to DIFC fund managers and funds. | DFSA |
| 2 Sep 2026 | Dear SEO letter | Compliance with Sanctions and Related Operational Risks. Sent to the Senior Executive Officers of DFSA firms. | DFSA |
| 24 Aug 2026 | Consultation closed | CP 174, miscellaneous changes. Comments closed. Part 1 final rules followed on 1 October. | DFSA |
| 17 Aug 2026 | Public alert | A DFSA authorised firm impersonated in a scam. | DFSA |
Open consultations. None. The DFSA Rulebook's Current Papers page lists no open papers on 9 November 2026.
Coming up
- 1 January 2027. The COB, Islamic Finance Rules and Glossary amendments come into force (Rulemaking Instruments 444, 445 and 446).
- No date yet. Final rules on CP 173, the Collective Investment Funds framework.
- No date yet. The DFSA's decision on the CP 174 crypto token and investment token proposals.
Register by category
| Register type | Current entries |
|---|---|
| Authorised Firms | 999 |
| Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) | 152 |
| Recognised Members | 43 |
| Recognised Bodies | 35 |
| Registered Auditors | 28 |
| External Fund Managers | 3 |
| Authorised Market Institutions | 2 |
The register's default view shows 1,263 entries. One entity can appear under more than one type. Withdrawn entries are listed separately: 601 authorised firms and 105 DNFBPs.
What authorised firms do. The most common Financial Services are:
| Financial Service | Authorised firms |
|---|---|
| Arranging Deals in Investments | 660 |
| Advising on Financial Products | 644 |
| Arranging Credit & Advising on Credit | 415 |
| Arranging Custody | 294 |
| Managing Assets | 284 |
| Managing a Collective Investment Fund | 168 |
| Dealing in Investments as Agent | 108 |
| Dealing in Investments as Principal | 93 |
| Insurance Intermediation | 92 |
| Operating a Representative Office | 85 |
| Providing Custody | 47 |
| Providing Money Services | 36 |
| Accepting Deposits | 29 |
| Operating a Crowdfunding Platform | 12 |
Many firms hold more than one Financial Service, so the column adds up to more than 999. Endorsements: 325 firms may hold or control client assets, 114 may serve retail clients, and 61 operate an Islamic window.
Virtual assets
- 16 authorised firms list "Crypto Tokens" among the investments covered by their Financial Services.
- Two of them were licensed in 2026: Sahm Financial Limited (8 April) and Robinhood MENA Limited (20 July).
- No Recognised Crypto Tokens list. The DFSA stopped publishing the list. From 12 January 2026, each firm must decide on a reasoned and documented basis whether a token meets the DFSA's suitability criteria. (DFSA, 15 December 2025)
- Pending. The DFSA will consider the CP 174 crypto token and investment token proposals at a later stage.
New licences in 2026
| Month | Authorised firms |
|---|---|
| January | 14 |
| February | 10 |
| March | 14 |
| April | 18 |
| May | 13 |
| June | 13 |
| July | 11 |
| August | 8 |
| September | 14 |
| October | 15 |
| November, to 9 November | 3 |
| Total | 133 |
For comparison, 145 current authorised firms show a 2025 licence date and 123 a 2024 date.
The 10 most recent:
| Firm | Date of licence |
|---|---|
| Bloomberg Tradebook Europe Limited (DIFC Representative Office) | 5 Nov 2026 |
| Kuvi Capital Limited | 4 Nov 2026 |
| Transamerica Life (DIFC) Limited | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Triatlum Capital Partners Limited | 30 Oct 2026 |
| Signet Capital Management (ME) Ltd (DIFC Representative Office) | 30 Oct 2026 |
| ARVO Limited | 30 Oct 2026 |
| AYA Global Capital Limited | 29 Oct 2026 |
| Neo Global Wealth Management Private Limited | 29 Oct 2026 |
| RFM Corporation Limited | 26 Oct 2026 |
| Sophos Advisors Limited | 26 Oct 2026 |
Licensing announcements
The DFSA does not issue press releases for individual licences. New firms appear on its public register.
| Date | Announcement | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Jul 2026 | The DFSA confirmed admission of the UAE's first Sovereign Retail Treasury Sukuk for listing on Nasdaq Dubai. | DFSA |
| 25 Jun 2026 | DFSA Annual Report 2025: a third year in a row of double-digit growth in registrations. | DFSA |
Recent publications
| Date | Type | Title and summary | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Nov 2026 | White paper | Scaling Tokenisation: The Road Ahead. Looks at what tokenised markets need to grow: custody, digital settlement, interoperability and cross-border coordination. It does not prescribe an outcome. | DFSA |
| 2 Nov 2026 | Survey | DFSA AI Survey 2026. 71% of surveyed authorised firms use at least one form of AI, up from 52% in 2025 and 33% in 2024. | DFSA |
| 30 Oct 2026 | Insights paper | Frontier and agentic AI: cyber resilience in the financial sector. Written with the Cambridge Digital Innovation and Regulation Initiative. Covers cyber security, operational resilience and third-party risk. | DFSA |
| 10 Sep 2026 | Media release | Strategic Working Group with Nasdaq Dubai, HKMA and HKEX. A new group to deepen capital markets links between the DIFC and Hong Kong. | DFSA |
Update history
| Date | Authorised firms | Licensed in 2026 | With crypto token permissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 2026 | 999 | 133 | 16 |
How we count
- Source. We read the Firms tab of the DFSA public register on the date shown. Counts by type, Financial Service and endorsement use the register's own filters.
- Dates. New licences use the "Date of Licence" on each firm's register page. Ten authorised firms show no licence date. Some firms with older reference numbers show a 2026 date. We count them as shown.
- Crypto. We count authorised firms whose register page lists "Crypto Tokens" under any Financial Service.
- Updates. We read the DFSA's news, Notices of Amendments, Decision Notices and Regulatory Actions, Dear SEO letters, alerts and the Rulebook's consultation pages.
- Coverage. The register shows current entries. Withdrawn firms are not in the current totals.
- Use. You may reuse these figures with credit to Regulatory Gate and a link to this page.
Licensing with the DFSA? Book a call with Regulatory Gate.