Flowdesk Obtains Full Broker-Dealer Licence From Dubai's VARA

Flowdesk has received a full broker-dealer licence from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. The licence is held by Flowdesk Omega FZE, the company's Dubai entity. It allows that entity to serve qualified and institutional investors in and from Dubai.

VARA is Dubai's dedicated crypto regulator. Its existence is part of Dubai's broader effort to provide a formal framework for virtual asset firms rather than leaving them under general financial-services rules. For Flowdesk, the licence completes a process that started in June with in-principle approval.

Flowdesk has described VARA's licensing process as rigorous and multi-stage. The approval did not come quickly. The company had to meet requirements across governance, compliance, risk management and institutional-grade market infrastructure before the full licence was granted.

Guilhem Chaumont, co-founder and CEO of Flowdesk Group, called the approval a defining milestone for the company. Chaumont said the licence reflects the work Flowdesk has put into those areas. He also said the UAE has become central to Flowdesk's growth and called it a key virtual asset market.

Flowdesk is a global liquidity provider and virtual asset trading technology firm. Its clients include institutional investors and digital asset issuers. The company offers over-the-counter trading, liquidity solutions and tokenised market services.

The Dubai licence follows another regulatory milestone from June. Flowdesk's European entity received Crypto-Asset Service Provider authorisation from France's AMF under the EU's MiCA framework. That means the firm holds regulated status in the EU and the UAE at the same time.

The two approvals point in the same strategic direction. Europe gives Flowdesk a regulated base under MiCA. Dubai connects the firm to a Gulf market that has made itself an active centre for crypto regulation. A liquidity provider with both licences can serve European demand while maintaining a licensed presence in Dubai.