The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has introduced Federal Decree Law No. 6 of 2025, which local crypto lawyer Irina Heaver called a pivotal moment for the decentralized finance (DeFi) and Web3 sectors. This law broadens the requirements for activities related to digital assets. The industry must adapt its systems to comply with the new rules by September 2026.
The new law extends its reach to DeFi platforms, protocols, middleware, and even infrastructure providers. This affects those who enable payment, exchange, lending services, as well as custody or investment services.
Articles 61 and 62 of the law mandate a license from the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) for activities that include crypto payments and the storage of cryptocurrency. This means that DeFi projects can no longer avoid regulation by citing decentralization.
A license may be required for protocols that support stablecoins, Real-World Assets (RWA), Decentralized Exchanges (DEX), bridges, or liquidity routing. Operating without a license incurs severe penalties, including fines of up to 1 billion dirhams ($272.3 M) and possible criminal sanctions.
As of this publication, the law currently affects companies only — individuals remain unaffected.
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