Capital.com plans to offer spot cryptocurrency services in the United Arab Emirates after its affiliate, Capital Vault, secured a virtual-asset license from the Capital Market Authority (CMA), the UAE’s securities regulator. Announced on Aug. 21, 2026, the approval allows Capital Vault to act as an agent or matching principal in virtual-asset transactions and to provide custody for clients. The authorization moves the group beyond contracts-for-difference (CFD) trading, which provides price exposure without ownership of the underlying asset, into direct crypto buying, custody and settlement. UAE clients will eventually be able to buy and hold crypto through the Capital.com app, although no launch date was provided. Capital Vault is separately governed from Capital.com, has opened an office in Abu Dhabi and is building a local virtual-asset team. The approval follows the CMA’s April introduction of a framework that expanded regulated virtual-asset activities from three to eight and added requirements for business conduct, alternative trading systems, anti-money laundering controls and prudential standards.