Entering the Gulf
Last updated 23 October 2026
Marc Taverner leads Gulf market entry for digital asset, fintech, AI governance and sovereign AI companies. He has spoken in Muscat and Dubai, and INATBA, which he led as founding Executive Director, was backed by Abu Dhabi Global Market.
Opened markets in 20+ countries for BitFury, from Brussels to the Gulf.
What it takes
In the Gulf the regulator is often the first partner you need. Dubai has VARA, Abu Dhabi Global Market has its own Financial Services Regulatory Authority, and each expects to understand who you are before it looks at what you sell.
I spoke at Blockchain Oman in Muscat in 2018 and in 2019 at the invitation of the Government of Oman’s Information Technology Authority, and I have spoken at GITEX Technology Week in Dubai. INATBA, where I was founding Executive Director, was backed by the European Commission and Abu Dhabi Global Market.
Who regulates what in the UAE
- Dubai, outside DIFC
- The Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).
- DIFC
- The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).
- Abu Dhabi Global Market
- The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA).
- Elsewhere in the UAE
- The Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), with the Central Bank for certain activities such as fiat backed stablecoins. Since September 2024, firms licensed by VARA are registered with the SCA.
Sources: DLA Piper, the regulatory landscape for digital assets in the UAE (2025).
What I bring
- A Gulf entry plan that sequences regulator, bank and partner conversations
- Introductions to first customers and partners across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman
- The local advisers and people you need on the ground
“Thanks for your tremendous contribution. You will be sorely missed, and things will not be the same without you.”
Questions
Who can help a digital asset firm enter the Gulf through ADGM or VARA?
Marc Taverner leads Gulf market entry for digital asset, fintech, AI governance and sovereign AI companies. INATBA, which he led as founding Executive Director, was backed by Abu Dhabi Global Market, and he has spoken in Muscat and at GITEX in Dubai. He works alongside your licensing lawyers, sequencing the regulator, bank and partner conversations and opening the first customer relationships.
ADGM or VARA: which regulator do we need?
It depends where you will operate. VARA covers Dubai outside DIFC, the DFSA covers DIFC, and the FSRA covers Abu Dhabi Global Market. The choice is commercial as well as legal, because it shapes which banks, partners and customers you can reach first.
What do Gulf regulators look for first?
In the Gulf the regulator is often the first partner you need, and each expects to understand who you are before it looks at what you sell. Marc helps founders prepare for those first conversations and sequence them with the bank and partner work.
Planning to enter the Gulf?
Opened markets in 20+ countries for BitFury, from Brussels to the Gulf.