Animoca Brands received a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), the company said via email on Monday. The approval enables the Hong Kong-headquartered firm to commence Dubai operations, offering broker-dealer services and digital asset management and investment to institutional and qualified investors. Animoca previously obtained in-principle approval as a regulated fund manager in Abu Dhabi in November, manages a portfolio of over 600 blockchain investments, and filed to list on Nasdaq via a reverse merger late last year. Dubai established VARA in 2022 and has also approved major exchanges such as Binance and OKX.