Animoca Brands Wins Final Abu Dhabi Approval to Manage Investment Funds
Animoca Brands has obtained final approval from Abu Dhabi regulators to manage investment funds, its asset management unit announced on Monday.
The permission marks a significant step for the company's Middle East operations.
It enables Animoca Asset Management to manage a collective investment fund in or from ADGM.
The approval came from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).
This is the second regulated foothold the company has secured in the UAE this year.
In February, it obtained a license from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).
That license covered broker-dealer and management services for institutional and qualified investors.
The Abu Dhabi permission is the final step in a process that began 11 months ago.
Animoca received an in-principle approval from the FSRA in November 2025.
The regulator granted 45 permissions of all types in the first half of 2026.
By the end of June, the number of fund and asset managers in ADGM stood at 190.
This figure represents a 23% increase from the previous year.
The FSRA counts 423 active licenses under its regulator, compared to 4,176 at the Dubai Financial Services Authority.
Animoca joins other crypto firms that already manage assets in the free zone.
Nomura's digital asset unit, Laser Digital, secured a similar permission in 2024.
The company, known for building The Sandbox and the Moca Network, holds stakes in over 600 companies.
It has not disclosed the name or size of the fund it plans to manage.
Minh Do, the senior executive officer and director of the asset management unit, called the permission a milestone.
It allows us to manage collective investment funds under a robust regulatory framework.
Timeline and Comparison
The timeline for Animoca's approval process was approximately 11 months.
eToro, a comparable firm, took about 14 months to move from an in-principle approval to a full license.
eToro received its in-principle approval in September 2022.
It obtained a full license to broker securities, derivatives, and crypto assets in November 2023.
Kraken's parent company, Payward, also followed a similar two-stage process.
Payward received preliminary authorization in May and final market approval in October.
This timeline highlights the rigorous scrutiny involved in obtaining regulatory permissions.
The process requires companies to meet specific regulator requirements before full operation.
Strategic Expansion in the UAE
Arvind Ramamurthy, the chief market development officer at ADGM, welcomed Animoca's move.
He stated that the company's entry strengthens connections between institutional capital and digital assets.
This development underscores the growing importance of the UAE as a hub for digital finance.
The ADGM free zone continues to attract major players in the crypto and fintech sectors.
Animoca's dual licenses in the UAE demonstrate its commitment to regulatory compliance.
The company's ability to secure these approvals reflects its strong market position.
It remains to be seen which specific fund Animoca will launch under the new permission.
The company has not provided further details about its plans for the Abu Dhabi market.
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