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Brokers, dealers and advisers serving Gulf clients from Dubai hold the DFSA licence for a common-law financial centre with its own courts and a defined five-stage authorisation process.
Selected engagements from more than 250 licences obtained since 2013, for payment, e-money and cryptoasset firms.
Volkswagen
Payment InstitutionObtained Nexpay’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Electronic Money InstitutionObtained Dzing Finance’s FCA Authorised Electronic Money Institution licence.
Obtained Orbital’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Our realistic timeline from submission to decision.
Client money and liquidity provider accounts opened alongside the application, so you trade on authorisation.
We assemble your team: a chief executive, finance officer, compliance officer and MLRO.
The licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing for your business.
You will need a chief executive (the DFSA’s senior executive officer), a finance officer, a compliance officer and an MLRO, each approved by the DFSA.
One programme, from scoping to launch. Speak to an expert about this licence.
Requirements, capital, timing, fees and common questions, drawn from the regulator’s own publications.
A business that deals in investments as principal or agent, arranges deals, advises on financial products, manages assets or holds client assets in or from the Dubai International Financial Centre needs DFSA authorisation. The DIFC is a common-law financial free zone with its own courts and regulator; the licence covers financial services in or from the Centre only. Forex and CFD brokers, securities dealers, liquidity providers, corporate finance arrangers and advisers use the DFSA licence to serve professional and, with the relevant permissions, retail clients from Dubai. Activity onshore in the UAE and in other free zones falls under the federal Securities and Commodities Authority, outside the DFSA’s scope.
| Category | Financial services | Capital components |
|---|---|---|
| Category 2 | Dealing in investments as principal (unmatched) | Base capital with risk-based capital for a principal dealer |
| Category 3A | Dealing in investments as agent; dealing as matched principal | Base capital, risk capital requirement, operational risk charge, capital conservation buffer of 25% of the risk capital requirement, ICAAP |
| Category 4 | Advising on financial products; arranging deals in investments | Higher of base capital and the expenditure-based capital minimum; no risk capital |
| Categories 3B and 3C | Managing assets; providing custody | Base capital and expenditure-based capital minimum |
| Categories 1 and 5 | Accepting deposits; Islamic financial institutions | Bank-level prudential requirements |
Amendments to the prudential module effective 1 July 2026, following Consultation Paper 161, revised Category 3 capital with activity-based components for assets safeguarded and administered, assets under management and client orders handled. The figures for a given firm follow from its prudential category and these activity measures.
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Base capital requirement | Set by prudential category under PIB 3.6 of the DFSA Rulebook |
| Category 3A | Base capital plus risk capital requirement, operational risk charge, capital conservation buffer of 25% of the risk capital requirement and ICAAP |
| Category 4 | Higher of base capital and the expenditure-based capital minimum |
| Category 2 | Base capital with risk-based capital as a principal dealer |
| From 1 July 2026 | Activity-based components for Category 3 firms following Consultation Paper 161 |
The DFSA sets the base capital figures in the prudential module of the DFSA Rulebook, and the category the DFSA assigns determines which figure applies.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory decision period | No statutory period | DIFC Regulatory Law 2004 and the DFSA Rulebook |
| Regulator’s published figure | In-principle approval generally valid for 3 months, within which incorporation, lease, capital and staff visas are completed; the DFSA’s portal lists the five stages with durations to be confirmed | DIFC handbook, setting up a financial entity; DFSA services portal |
| Application preparation | 8 to 10 weeks | From instruction to submission, including banking in parallel |
| Our realistic timeline | 4 to 6 months after submission | Our own figure, from the regulator’s published data and our applications |
Regulator figures are quoted as published and converted to months. Our realistic timeline assumes a complete, well-prepared application.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | US$15,000 to US$70,000 | Varies with the financial services applied for |
| Services portal fee range | US$2,000 to US$140,000 | By nature and scale of activities; payable by bank transfer; detailed in the fees module |
| Annual fees | Per the fees module by category | Set in the DFSA Rulebook fees module (FER) |
| Representative office application | US$6,000 | For a representative office rather than an authorised firm |
| DIFC lease registration | US$100 to US$300 | Within 20 days of signing; US$1,000 late penalty |
| Professional fees | Fixed | Quoted after scoping |
The licence covers financial services in or from the DIFC. Onshore UAE business and business in other free zones fall under the federal Securities and Commodities Authority, and virtual asset activity in Dubai outside the DIFC falls under VARA. A DFSA firm serving clients in the United Kingdom or the European Union holds the FCA authorisation or an EU authorisation for those markets, and we obtain each.
The DFSA publishes no list of reasons for delay. From the authorisation process it publishes, the Authority looks for the following.
A dealing firm needs client money accounts separated from its own funds, operating accounts in its base currency and settlement accounts in the currencies it quotes, together with onboarding at one or more liquidity providers or prime brokers before the first trade. Each institution reviews the licence, the financial crime framework and the flow of funds before opening an account. We open the accounts and complete the liquidity provider onboarding alongside the application, so you trade on authorisation. See banking and payment processing.
Category 3A for dealing as agent or as matched principal; Category 2 for dealing as principal on an unmatched basis. Advising and arranging alone is Category 4.
Base capital is set by category in the prudential module, with risk capital, an operational risk charge, a 25% capital conservation buffer and an ICAAP for Category 3A and an expenditure-based minimum for Category 4. The figures follow from the category the DFSA assigns.
The DFSA states an application fee of US$15,000 to US$70,000 depending on the financial services; its portal lists service fees from US$2,000 to US$140,000 by nature and scale.
There is no statutory period. The in-principle approval is generally valid for three months while conditions are met; we plan for four to six months after submission.
No. The licence covers financial services in or from the DIFC; onshore UAE activity is regulated by the Securities and Commodities Authority and Dubai virtual asset activity outside the DIFC by VARA.
A regulatory advisory firm to payment, e-money and cryptoasset companies since 2013, with more than 250 licences obtained in more than 60 countries. The firm builds licensed payment, e-money, crypto and stablecoin businesses: the licence, the team, the technology, the bank accounts and card issuing.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements and fees change, and the regulator’s own publications take precedence.
The licence, your team, banking and technology, delivered as one programme.