Payward receives Full Market Approval from VARA
12 October 2026 UAE
Image: Ji/stock.adobe.com
Payward, Kraken’s parent company, has received Full Market Approval from the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) in Dubai and plans to launch in the UAE.
Payward is now permitted to operate as a regulated Virtual Asset Service Provider in the region.
Kraken’s UAE institutional clients will gain OTC spot trading and Kraken Prime, and additional products, including crypto derivatives and expanded yield opportunities, are anticipated to be available in 2026 and 2027.
Clients will also be able to trade spot and margin, fund, and withdraw using UAE dirhams.
Payward says it will make its infrastructure available to regional partners through embedded trading as a service.
The UAE launch forms part of Payward’s broader aim of “building regulated, on-the-ground operations across key financial centres”.
Speaking on the approval, Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of Payward and Kraken, says: “From launch, clients in the UAE get the same order book and multi-asset coverage we run in every other market, under one of the clearest regulatory frameworks in the world.
“Payward's regulatory infrastructure now connects them directly to Kraken's market-leading liquidity, along with a growing range of opportunities across digital assets.”
Payward currently holds over 100 licences globally, spanning Europe, the Americas, APAC, and the Middle East.
Payward is now permitted to operate as a regulated Virtual Asset Service Provider in the region.
Kraken’s UAE institutional clients will gain OTC spot trading and Kraken Prime, and additional products, including crypto derivatives and expanded yield opportunities, are anticipated to be available in 2026 and 2027.
Clients will also be able to trade spot and margin, fund, and withdraw using UAE dirhams.
Payward says it will make its infrastructure available to regional partners through embedded trading as a service.
The UAE launch forms part of Payward’s broader aim of “building regulated, on-the-ground operations across key financial centres”.
Speaking on the approval, Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of Payward and Kraken, says: “From launch, clients in the UAE get the same order book and multi-asset coverage we run in every other market, under one of the clearest regulatory frameworks in the world.
“Payward's regulatory infrastructure now connects them directly to Kraken's market-leading liquidity, along with a growing range of opportunities across digital assets.”
Payward currently holds over 100 licences globally, spanning Europe, the Americas, APAC, and the Middle East.
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