QCP Receives In-Principal Approval From Abu Dhabi Regulator

• QCP, a digital assets trading firm based in Singapore, has received in-principal approval from Abu Dhabi’s financial regulator.

• QCP said in April it was expanding to the Middle East.

Digital assets trading firm QCP Capital said it received In-Principle Approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).

The Singapore-based firm is the latest digital assets company to establish a licensed presence in Abu Dhabi. In April, during Token 2049 in neighboring Dubai, it said it signed a partnership with Further Ventures to expand into the Middle East.

“Our intention is to be a responsible player that wants to support market confidence,” CEO Melvin Deng said in a statement. “We are proud to be the first Singaporean digital asset market maker and broker-dealer to set up here in the market and hope we can encourage others to venture into this dynamic market.”

Abu Dhabi Global Market is one of the fastest-growing crypto hubs in the region.

“We want to learn from what other players are doing in Abu Dhabi and the region and bring our expertise as a first mover in digital assets to the ecosystem,” Deng said.

Chainalysis reported in October 2023 that most UAE digital asset transactions were large institutional investments.

In December, Coinbase’s new blockchain-based financial products for institutional investors also received in-principle approval from the FSRA.