Is Dubai the Next Cryptocurrency Exchange Hub?

Many jurisdictions around the world are now interacting in various ways with the digital currency ecosystem. Among the Gulf nations, Dubai is one of the most active influencers.

While many state actors see it as a threat, a much larger number of others see it as an opportunity.

With the slew of licenses granted to cryptocurrency exchanges today, Dubai appears to be one of the latter. According to Blockchain.News, OKX, one of the leading crypto exchanges in the digital currency ecosystem, is one of the most recent in the industry to be granted permission to operate in Dubai.

The Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) granted the crypto trading platform a provisional virtual assets (VA) license, allowing it to offer targeted crypto products to qualifying investors, according to the announcement.

While the move complements the exchange's efforts to go global, emphasizing, among other things, its compliance capabilities, it speaks much more to VARA's generosity and forward-thinking position. Based on the approval of the new license, the trading platform intends to open a new regional office in Dubai in order to pursue a more comprehensive engagement in the region.

“The MENA region is one of our industry's fastest growing markets, and we are very excited to be at the heart of this thriving ecosystem,” said Lennix Lai, General Manager, OKX Dubai. “OKX looks forward to meaningfully contributing to the free exchange of ideas that will be so important to the development of this space while innovating for the future in a regulated framework.”

Promotion of the Dubai Digital Assets Landscape in Collaboration

Binance and Huobi, in addition to OKX, have obtained related licenses to operate in Dubai. The implications of this are significant not only for the benefit of the exchanges, but also for the masses, who will have a unique variety of payment options, while the government will be able to generate revenue in the form of taxes.

OKX, for its part, stated that it will commit to promoting the crypto ecosystem in Dubai in collaboration with VARA. According to the exchange, it will seek to make significant contributions by facilitating research and knowledge sharing, with the goal of making Dubai a leading hub for the global virtual assets industry.

Dubai, in addition to being one of the world's most visited tourist destinations, aspires to become the financial epicenter of the Middle East, and then the world. While the growth of digital assets in the region can be attributed to VARA's bullish nature, Dubai is likely to become the most sought-after rallying point for crypto exchanges in the near term.

As a reminder, WikiBit is ready to help you search the qualifications and reputation of projects in a bid to protect you from hidden dangers in this risky industry!

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