The Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) has showcased its next generation of regulatory solutions and services including a virtual assets Suptech monitoring prototype at Gitex 2025.
H.E. Waleed Al Awadhi, CEO of the Securities and Commodities Authority, noted that SCA’s digital transformation reflects the UAE’s broader vision for modern, accessible governance. he explained, “By leveraging advanced technologies such as open data and artificial intelligence, and redesigning our digital platform, we are creating regulatory tools that anticipate change and protect confidence in the market. It is a transformation that strengthens both service and supervision.”
During GITEX Global 2025, SCA is showcasing two AI-powered prototypes that illustrate how advanced technologies can strengthen investor engagement and market oversight, alongside a newly designed digital platform.
The SupTech Virtual Assets Monitoring prototype illustrates how supervisory tools can support proper onboarding and monitoring of virtual asset service providers. The tools are powered by AI for seamless case investigations. Meanwhile, the Investor AI Assistant, developed using MS Azure Cognitive Services, allows investors to verify SCA-licensed entities and individuals and access regulatory information through bilingual voice and text interaction.
Earlier this week, SCA and VARA announced a coordinated approach to regulating Virtual Assets (VA) and their Service Providers in the UAE, in accordance with the distinct legal mandates entrusted to each authority.
As per the announcement, the collaboration reinforces the UAE’s commitment to financial inclusion, capital market innovation, and digital economy leadership. This announcement builds upon two major regulatory milestones: The Cabinet Resolution No. (111) of 2022 Concerning the Regulation of Virtual Assets and their Service Providers; and the Cooperation Agreement of 5 September 2024, signed between SCA and VARA, which sets forth mechanisms for licensing and oversight of virtual assets service providers (VASPs) and
foster regulatory coherence, in alignment with the “principle of the 50” and the UAE’s government’s vision for sustainable and innovation-driven economic growth.
Within this context, SCA and VARA have aligned regulatory frameworks while maintaining clear jurisdictional boundaries, to provide clarity for market participants and support responsible adoption:
SCA’s Mandate – Virtual Assets Service Providers Under Cabinet Resolution No. (111) of 2022 Concerning the Regulation of Virtual Assets and their Service Providers, SCA’s regulates the licensing and supervision of virtual-asset service providers in the UAE.
VARA’s Mandate – Virtual Assets and Asset-Referenced Tokens – Pursuant to Law No. (4) of 2022, VARA regulates all forms of Virtual Assets (VAs) and their service providers within the Emirate of Dubai (excluding DIFC).
VARA’s oversight covers the full spectrum from issuance, to exchange, custody, trading and all other activities pertaining to the virtual asset ecosystem, in adherence with international standards of transparency, market integrity, and risk management.
Through this collaborative approach, the SCA and VARA, provide a coherent structure for virtual assets, and their underlying instruments, in the UAE, giving issuers, brokers, custodians, and investors the regulatory certainty to innovate responsibly while safeguarding consumers and ensuring market stability.
