Khaberni - A recent international report has ranked the UAE as one of the most developed digital asset markets globally this year.
The "Global Digital Assets Report 2025," launched at the "2025 Singapore Fintech Festival" currently held in Singapore, highlights the role of regulatory progress in the UAE in laying down international standards for innovation, investor protection, and market integrity.
These findings align with the region's ongoing efforts to harmonize digital asset regulation with global standards, where the report links the rapid growth in stablecoins and tokenized assets to the introduction of licensing frameworks, experimental regulatory environments, and flagship institutional projects across the Arab Gulf markets, with the UAE leading this significant change.
The new report by the Global Network for Finance and Technology in collaboration with "Arthur D. Little," points out that the UAE enjoys an advanced ranking comparable to that of Singapore and Switzerland concerning regulatory maturity, where both the Dubai Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority at Abu Dhabi Global Market, apply an activity-based licensing system that balances between supporting innovation and investor protection requirements.
The report is based on interviews with more than 40 regulatory bodies and central bank governors and financial executives from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, concluding that investor participation is growing faster in markets with clear regulatory oversight.
Subnindo Mohanty, CEO of the Global Network for Finance and Technology, mentioned that the data indicates that the region has moved from a phase of aspirations to a phase of achievement and implementation, where behind these numbers lies a clear truth that capital is moving towards regulatory clarity.
He added that regulatory agencies in the Arab Gulf are working on creating frameworks designed for sustainability and longevity, far beyond mere promotion, plus their focus on interoperability and tokenization of real assets sets them apart from markets still testing the fundamentals.
Arjun Veer Singh, partner and head of the Financial Technology sector at "Arthur D. Little Middle East," said: Our collaboration with the Global Network for Finance and Technology demonstrates our commitment to providing evidence-based analysis, and the regulatory frameworks in the Gulf Cooperation Council states show how clear policy design can contribute to accelerating market readiness and consolidating institutional trust in the digital finance sector.
The report provides a multidisciplinary reference for policymakers and financial institutions to evaluate the evolution of digital currencies, tokenization, decentralized finance, and documents how the systematic approach followed by the GCC states is now ranked among the most advanced regulatory frameworks globally, providing a basis for ongoing cooperation between regional authorities and global entities in setting standards.
