Kraken prepares to launch in the UAE after parent Payward wins full market approval from Dubai's VARA

Kraken plans to start serving clients in the UAE in the coming weeks after its parent company, Payward, received Full Market Approval from Dubai's Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority. The approval is the final stage of VARA's licensing process and covers retail, professional and institutional investors. Payward received preliminary approval in May.

At launch, UAE clients will trade spot and margin on AED pairs, with dirham deposits and withdrawals, on-chain staking, xStocks tokenised US equities and the Krak app. Institutions get OTC spot trading and Kraken Prime. Crypto derivatives and further yield products are expected later in 2026 and into 2027, subject to approval.

Payward also plans to offer embedded trading as a service to regional partners. Kraken has held an ADGM licence in Abu Dhabi since 2022.