Capital.com is expanding into actual crypto ownership for its UAE customer base, moving beyond the derivatives-only model it has relied on in most markets to date. The trading platform, confirmed that its affiliate Capital Vault has obtained a virtual-asset license from the UAE’s Capital Market Authority (CMA), clearing the path for spot crypto services within the country.
Once the rollout is complete, customers in the UAE will be able to purchase and actually hold cryptocurrency directly through the existing Capital.com app, rather than trading synthetic exposure to price movements. Capital Vault will sit behind the scenes handling the operational side of things, managing trade execution, safeguarding customer holdings, and settling transactions once trades are completed.
This marks a meaningful shift from how Capital.com has historically operated in the crypto space. Up to now, the company’s crypto offering has centered on CFDs, financial instruments that let traders speculate on price movements without ever taking possession of the underlying asset.
A CFD position rises or falls in value alongside the crypto it tracks, but the trader never actually owns any coins, tokens, or wallets tied to that exposure. Spot trading works differently: customers who buy crypto through this new service will hold the actual asset itself, with Capital Vault responsible for keeping it secure and settling transactions on the backend.
The timing of this approval ties back to regulatory changes the CMA rolled out earlier this year. Back in April, the authority introduced a broader virtual-asset framework that significantly expanded its regulatory scope, growing the list of covered activities from just three categories to eight.
This expanded framework didn’t just widen what counts as a regulated activity, it also introduced more detailed requirements across several areas critical to running a compliant crypto operation. Firms operating under the new rules now face specific standards covering business conduct, how alternative trading systems must function, anti-money-laundering controls, and prudential requirements meant to ensure firms remain financially sound.
