INDUSTRIES · FINTECH
The UAE is the region's fastest-moving fintech market — with dedicated Central Bank regimes for payments and e-money, an Open Finance framework, and free-zone sandboxes to test in. Know your model, not the regulator? Start here.
Confidential & non-binding · Same-day response in UAE hours
3
Regulators — CBUAE · ADGM · DFSA
4
RPSCS payment categories (1–19)
SVF
E-money & wallet licence type
2024
Open Finance framework live
YOUR MODEL
Financial regulators licence by activity, not by label. Find the model that matches what you do — each routes to the regulator that fits and the service that gets you there.
You move payments — accounts, card issuing, merchant acquiring, aggregation or transfers — under the CBUAE RPSCS regime.
CBUAE · ADGM · DFSA
See pathway →You hold customer float in a wallet or prepaid instrument — a Stored Value Facility.
CBUAE · ADGM
See pathway →You extend credit — consumer, corporate or buy-now-pay-later — without taking deposits.
CBUAE · ADGM · DFSA
See pathway →You take deposits and offer full banking through a digital-first model — the heaviest licence.
CBUAE
See pathway →You provide account information, payment initiation or the API infrastructure behind Open Finance.
CBUAE
See pathway →You sit at the edge of payments and financial services and are not sure which perimeter you cross.
CBUAE · CMA
See pathway →—— THE UAE LANDSCAPE
The UAE has made digital finance a national priority. The Central Bank stood up dedicated regimes for stored value and retail payments, launched an Open Finance framework, and drove a cashless payments agenda across the economy — while ADGM and the DFSA give fintechs a common law base and sandboxes to prove models in. Clear rules, real demand, and a regulator that wants you to succeed.
SVF
Dedicated e-money regime
RPSCS
Four payment service categories
Open
Onshore framework live since 2024
0%
Personal income tax for residents
THE REGULATORS
Which one fits depends on whether you touch customer money onshore, and who your clients are. Here is who governs what.
CBUAE
Federal · Banking
The Central Bank licenses payments, e-money, lending and banking across onshore UAE — the only route if you hold or move customer money nationwide.
Explore CBUAE →ADGM
Abu Dhabi · FSRA
A common-law free zone with the award-winning RegLab sandbox — strong for B2B and institutional fintech.
Explore ADGM →DFSA
DIFC
The DIFC financial regulator with the Innovation Testing Licence — for institution-facing fintech in a common-law jurisdiction.
Explore DFSA →THE COMPLIANCE REALITY
Regulators do not just check you at the door — they expect a working financial-crime programme, monitored and reported continuously. These are the obligations we operate for you on regulator-aligned technology.
KYC
Know Your Customer
Identity verification and risk-rating of every individual client at onboarding — documents, liveness, PEP and adverse-media checks — refreshed on a risk-based cycle.
KYB
Know Your Business
Verification of corporate clients — beneficial ownership, control structure, licences and source of funds.
KYT
Know Your Transaction
Real-time transaction monitoring — screening, exposure scoring and behavioural alerts — to catch illicit flows.
AML
AML/CFT programme
A full anti-money-laundering framework — risk assessment, policies, an appointed MLRO, SAR/STR reporting and training.
TRAVEL
Travel Rule
Secure exchange of originator and beneficiary data on transfers between providers above the threshold.
SANCTIONS
Sanctions & PEP screening
Continuous screening of clients and counterparties against UAE, US and international sanctions and PEP lists.
HOW WE HELP
Knowing your model is the start. We confirm the regulator, build and defend the application, and keep you compliant after approval — three disciplines competitors outsource to three vendors, under one roof.
01 · ADVISORY
End-to-end licensing
Perimeter analysis, entity, the full application and every round of regulator questions — through to approval.
02 · COMPLIANCE TECHNOLOGY
VerifiX & ComplianceX
Regulator-aligned, API-driven AML/KYC/KYB screening, monitoring and reporting — the controls you are approved on, running live.
03 · CYBERSECURITY
ITSEC — security assurance
Regulators hold cyber to a high bar. Our parent firm ITSEC delivers pen-testing, controls and audit evidence in-house.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.Ready for the detail? See the full FinTech licensing service →
GO DEEPER
The industry routes here; the service gets you licensed. Read on.
/ Service · fintech
FinTech licensing service
The complete service behind this industry — every fintech model mapped, priced and sequenced, with the steps to approval.
✓ Payments, e-money & lending breakdowns
✓ CBUAE vs ADGM vs DFSA routing
✓ The two-stage authorisation path
/ Regulator · deep guide
CBUAE — the full guide
The Central Bank licensing, payments and e-money regimes, category by category.
✓ SVF, RPSCS & payment token categories
✓ Capital & float safeguarding rules
✓ The two-stage authorisation path
/ Ecosystem · one roof
The KOLL Group ecosystem
Everything a licensed fintech needs, integrated — so the controls you are approved on are the ones you run.
✓ KOLL advisory + ITSEC cybersecurity
✓ VerifiX & ComplianceX RegTech
✓ Nexus infrastructure
FAQ
It depends on your model and clients. If you hold or move customer money onshore — wallets, payments, consumer lending — only the Central Bank (CBUAE) can license it. If you are B2B or want a common-law base and a sandbox, ADGM's FSRA or the DFSA fit.
An SVF (Stored Value Facility) licence covers e-money and prepaid wallets holding customer float. RPSCS (Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes) covers payment initiation, acquiring, aggregation and card scheme operation — four distinct categories under one regime. Some models need both.
Yes. Foreign ownership is permitted across CBUAE, ADGM and DFSA regimes, though CBUAE licensing typically expects a UAE-incorporated entity with local substance — a resident manager, compliance officer and MLRO.
Yes — ADGM's RegLab and the DFSA's Innovation Testing Licence let you test with real (but limited) customers under regulatory supervision before committing to a full licence application.
Typically 6–9 months for CBUAE payment licences, and 4–8 months within ADGM or DFSA sandboxes — faster when your application, capital and controls are well prepared upfront.
GET STARTED
Tell us what you're building. In one confidential call we will confirm your model, the right regulator — CBUAE, ADGM or DFSA — a realistic timeline and the exact next steps.
