DIFC
DubaiAn English common-law jurisdiction inside Dubai, for regulated finance and family offices.
Fintech licence in the UAE
Payments, lending, insurtech and financial software. The line that decides your route is whether you hold client funds or provide regulated financial services. Pure software sold to financial institutions can sit in a technology zone; anything customer-facing and financial needs DFSA, FSRA or central bank authorisation.
What to know first
- Holding client money requires full financial services authorisation.
- Both DIFC and ADGM operate innovation testing licences with reduced requirements for early-stage firms.
- Payment services may fall under Central Bank of the UAE rather than a financial centre.
Let's talk about your actual case
A twenty-minute call. We will also tell you if the UAE is the wrong answer for you — it often is.