Binance Secures Full Licensing in Abu Dhabi for Exchange, Clearing, and Brokerage Operations
The Abu Dhabi Global Market's Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) has granted licenses to three Binance Nest-branded entities to operate exchange, clearing, and trading activities in Abu Dhabi.
Nest Exchange has been licensed as a Recognized Investment Exchange, authorizing it to conduct spot and derivatives trading. Nest Clearing and Custody received approval as a Recognized Clearing House with permissions for custody and centralized securities depository (CSD), enabling clearing, settlement, and asset safeguarding functions. Additionally, Nest Trading has been approved to act as a broker-dealer for off-exchange and over-the-counter (OTC) trading activities.
Although branded as Nest, these three entities are locally incorporated and controlled by Binance, serving as the regulated infrastructure for Binance.com within Abu Dhabi. This arrangement reflects a traditional market infrastructure with separate FSRA supervision for each function.
Binance co-CEO Richard Teng emphasized the company's commitment to compliance, transparency, and user protection. Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, chairman of ADGM, praised Abu Dhabi’s positioning as an innovation hub and a center for the future of finance.
There has been no official comment from Binance or ADGM regarding any plans to relocate Binance’s global headquarters to Abu Dhabi. Binance has noted that any such headquarters moves would require time.
