Abu Dhabi Global Market

We're unpacking a really fascinating document from October 2026, which is the Abu Dhabi Global Market Registration Authority's guidance on crypto mining activities.

Right.

The ADGM guidance.

Yeah.

And I want to say right up front, you know, whether you are a tech enthusiast or maybe you're prepping for a major policy meeting or honestly, if you're just intensely curious about how governments are trying to tame the wild west of blockchain, this deep dive is for you.

Because this document, it's basically a blueprint for how a major international financial center is regulating the actual physical infrastructure of crypto.

Yeah.

And to set the stage here, the Abu Dhabi global market or, you know, ADGM, they operate on English common law, right?

Do you want to tell our listeners what are the two news you're going to be discussing later on in today's episode, please?

George, we'll be discussing Animoca Brand securing permission from ADGM's FSRA to manage funds, which is a major regulatory milestone for Abu Dhabi.

We're also covering Aramco closing that major $2.6 billion deal for a 49% stake in Humane.

These show significant institutional and corporate commitment in the region, and we'll break down the full impact of these developments later in the episode.

would definitely is a positive news satoshi so these were some macro level news cards on the bitcoin blockchain cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence world from blockchain dxp now let's do one thing satoshi let's go to look at two news from dubai ue and the middle east all right the first one guys is connected to abu dhabi global market and amnico brands they secured financial services permission from abu dhabi global market financial services regulatory authority and this is to manage collective investment fund so why don't you do one thing satoshi why don't you tell our listeners more information regarding this news all right

That is absolutely correct, George.

Animoca Brands has aggressively expanded its Middle East operations after successfully receiving key regulatory approval directly from Abu Dhabi's ADGM.

Its dedicated subsidiary, Animoca Asset Management AD Limited, officially received a valid financial services permission directly from ADGM's Financial Services Regulatory Authority, FSRA.

Animoca Asset Management, a subsidiary in Abu Dhabi, has secured a financial services permission from the Abu Dhabi Global Markets Financial Services Regulatory Authority.

This permission, effective from October 13th, allows the firm to manage collective investment funds within the ADGM.

However, it's important to note that they are not permitted to deal with retail clients or hold client assets directly.

Instead, custody must be arranged through a third party.

Let's explore what this means for investors.

This development is a notable step for Animoca, especially as it navigates the cooling crypto venture capital environment.

The permission aligns with ADGM's recent rule changes, which have made the jurisdiction more appealing for asset managers by simplifying requirements for smaller funds and those limited to institutional investors.

ADGM has seen a 54% increase in assets under management in the first half of 2026, making it an attractive base for firms like Animoca.

Binance also has significant ties to Abu Dhabi.

Last year, the exchange established its global headquarters in the Emirate, securing regulatory approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority within Abu Dhabi Global Market.

Now to the UAE banking sector.

The central bank of the UAE has fined an unnamed foreign bank branch 200 million AED following examinations that uncovered significant, repeated compliance failures.

Shifting our focus internationally, today we turn our attention to a groundbreaking development in Abu Dhabi.

where the Abu Dhabi Global Market, or ADGM, has unveiled new oversight rules for crypto mining businesses, marking a new chapter in how digital finance is regulated in the region.

Let's hear more from Mitch.

The ADGM has issued formal guidance under Section 23 of the Commercial Licensing Regulations 2025.

This guidance clarifies how crypto mining businesses can obtain commercial licenses and operate within or from ADGM.

Rashid Al-Blushi, CEO of the Registration Authority, emphasized that this provides a clear licensing pathway with supervision tailored to each operation's scale and risks.

How does this guidance affect different types of mining operations?

The policy is mechanism agnostic, meaning both proof-of-work miners and proof-of-stake validators, along with future consensus mechanisms, must obtain a commercial license when they operate as businesses within or from ADGM.

And they are leveraging Chainlink to power tokenized asset compliance platform.

And more importantly, they are doing that within Abu Dhabi global market.

So why don't you do one thing, Satoshi? Why don't you tell our listeners more information regarding this news, all right?

Sure, George.

Abu Dhabi-based further asset management has adopted Chainlink technology to power tokenized asset compliance workflows through its Anubis platform.

Anubis uses Chainlink's automated compliance engine, or ACE, to help apply configured regulatory policies to digital asset transactions.

The initial deployment focuses on compliance with an Abu Dhabi Global Market , supporting workflows designed around Applicable Financial Services Regulatory Authority requirements.

Anubis aims to translate regulations into machine-readable rules that institutions can use to manage tokenized assets.

George, we have two major local developments.

Alpaca just secured in-principle approval from ADGM's FSRA.

This is substantial because it expands institutional brokerage infrastructure right here in the UAE, directly supporting the crypto finance convergence.

Moving elsewhere in Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan approved new targets for the Dubai AI campus.

What advice you'd like to give them so that they can have a competitive edge?

To secure a true competitive edge in the Middle East, George, Alpacas should focus on becoming the definitive expert on regulatory compliance.

They can achieve this by not only meeting current standards like the ADGMs, but proactively working with regulators across different MENA jurisdictions to shape future policies, essentially making their infrastructure the gold standard.

Additionally, embedding localized capabilities directly into their B2B product, such as offering modular Sharia-compliant investing options and seamless support for regional currencies like the Dirham and Rial, would make their offering indispensable for local fintechs.

But for that suffering, how much we are willing to sacrifice on other front? A country has to weigh the pain, gains, and losses, and they'll take decision.

[on-hold music] Artha Bharat Investment Managers, IFSC, a fund management entity or FME in GIFT City in Gujarat, managing about $800 million in assets, is relocating two of its funds to Abu Dhabi Global Market, citing tax uncertainty and compliance burdens, a Business Standard report said.

The FME is relocating the master fund of the 112 million Artha Global Multiplier Fund, which mostly invests in US consumer teams.

Master-feeder structures are key to hedge fund operations.

See, today, if you know how many analysts are there who actually look at US stocks

stocksHow many fund managers are there who trade in US stocks directly? I mean, we wanted to bring all that expertise here, but things don't work out the way we planned.

So the best option was for us is, you know, we waited for a long time, and we said, "Okay, let's move it to Abu Dhabi Global Market." So it will meet all our objectives, right? If the fund has a tax shield there, no taxation in any matter.

Investors are taxed in the home country.