Crypto exchange Binance has earned a full license in Abu Dhabi. The development was revealed to the public, based on a news release and announcement from Binance. The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) approved three licenses for Binance’s Nest Exchange Limited, Nest Clearing and Custody Limited, and Nest Trading Limited.
Nest Services Limited, which is set to undergo a name change to Nest Exchange Limited, has been approved as a recognized investment exchange with permission to run a multilateral trading facility. It is expected to host the exchange’s business, including spot and derivatives markets. Nest Clearing and Custody Limited has also been approved as a recognized clearing house with added custody and securities depository permissions.
The approval puts it in charge of clearing, settlement, and safekeeping of digital assets. Meanwhile, a third entity, BCI Limited, which will become Nest Trading Limited, holds a broker-dealer license that covers dealing and arranging in investments, asset management, custody arrangements, and money services.
Binance strengthens global push with regulatory milestone
Richard Teng, co-CEO of Binance, declined to comment on whether Abu Dhabi is now the exchange’s official global headquarters when asked by reporters. “But for all intents and purposes, if you look at the regulatory sphere, I think the global regulators are more concerned with where we are regulated on a global basis,” he said. Teng also added that Abu Dhabi Global Market is where his crypto exchange’s “global platform” will be governed.
The approval by ADGM represents a strategic pivot toward full compliance and institutional legitimacy for Binance. According to the company’s co-CEO, the FSRA license provides regulatory clarity and legitimacy, enabling Binance to support its global operations from ADGM. “While our global operations remain distributed, leveraging talent and innovation worldwide, this regulatory foundation offers our users peace of mind knowing Binance operates under a globally recognised, gold standard framework,” he said
Regulators and officials see the licensing, alongside the arrival of major global exchanges, as a confirmation of their progressive crypto-regulatory approaches. Binance lauded the FSRA’s forward-thinking approach, which safeguards users while fostering innovation. For the larger region, the decision supports ADGM’s bid to position Abu Dhabi as a leading global hub for regulated cryptocurrency trading and digital-asset services.
Binance does not own an official corporate headquarters, so it is not subject to certain tax rules. According to guidance from the FSRA, entities that are permitted to operate regulated activities in the ADGM must have their “mind and management” within the zone, which encompasses all commercial, governance, compliance, surveillance, operations, technical, IT, and human resources functions.
Binance users enjoy further consumer protections and enhanced regulation through being subject to ADGM’s financial services framework, it says. The exchange expects to start regulated operations on January 5, 2026. In an X post, Teng described this as an “important milestone for Binance,” noting that the company has become the first global exchange to secure regulatory approval from a respected regulator, enabling end-to-end supervision of its international operations and liquidity.
