TLDR
- Coinbase received Financial Services Permission from Abu Dhabi Global Market’s regulator (FSRA) to operate a tokenization hub in the UAE
- The license lets Coinbase arrange deals and provide custody for tokenized securities backed by real underlying stocks
- Token holders get full shareholder rights including dividends and voting, with no brokerage account required
- Coinbase already has a derivatives hub in Dubai, giving it two major UAE operations outside the US
- Abu Dhabi has been building its virtual asset regulatory framework since 2018, attracting major crypto and tokenization firms
Coinbase has secured regulatory approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) to establish an international tokenization hub in the UAE capital.
Coinbase has established Abu Dhabi (ADGM) as our international tokenization hub.
Our newly acquired FSRA license means that we can now bring global securities to anyone with a wallet.
The next frontier of global finance is onchain, and we're building it from the UAE. pic.twitter.com/nwPvHrWJYw
— Coinbase 🛡️ (@coinbase) August 11, 2026
The Financial Services Permission allows COIN to arrange investment deals and provide custody for tokenized securities. This is the foundation for what Coinbase is calling its international tokenization hub.
Tokenized securities registered and issued in ADGM will be fully backed by underlying stocks under FSRA supervision. Verified token holders receive full shareholder rights, including dividends and voting.
One of the key draws is accessibility. Investors won’t need a brokerage account or correspondent banking relationship to participate, just a crypto wallet.
Every transfer will be subject to ongoing sanctions screening, and Coinbase said it can freeze or seize assets at the wallet level where required. The company framed this as proof that DeFi and regulatory compliance are not in conflict.
Brett Tejpaul, Co-CEO of Coinbase Institutional, said no major financial center has yet built a framework that treats tokenized equities as securities, blockchain-native tokens, and DeFi-composable assets at the same time. ADGM has done that.
Coinbase Already Had UAE Roots Before This Deal
This is not Coinbase’s first move in the UAE. In 2023, the company’s asset management arm launched Project Diamond, allowing institutional investors to issue and trade digital debt instruments using Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum-based blockchain.
Last month, Mubadala Capital, the asset management arm of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, tokenized one of its private-market investment strategies using infrastructure that included Base, with Coinbase taking direct exposure to the fund.
ADGM introduced its virtual asset regulatory framework back in 2018, making it one of the earliest major financial centers to do so. That early commitment has since attracted a wave of crypto and tokenization firms to the region.
Arvind Ramamurthy, Chief Market Development Officer at ADGM, called Coinbase’s move a strong endorsement of Abu Dhabi’s role in shaping global finance.
Two UAE Hubs, One Global Strategy
The Abu Dhabi tokenization hub will run alongside Coinbase’s derivatives business in Dubai. That gives the company two distinct and regulated operations in the UAE, both outside the US.
Coinbase described the UAE presence as two of its most ambitious global businesses, one focused on tokenized securities and onchain capital markets, and one on derivatives.
The tokenization hub launch comes as the broader industry pushes more traditional assets onto blockchain rails. Asset managers and banks have been putting funds, bonds, private credit, and equities onchain, drawn by faster settlement times and the potential to use assets as collateral in DeFi markets.
Coinbase said the FSRA license gives it the regulatory foundation to bring capital markets to more people globally.
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