Animoca Brands expands into crypto brokerage after Dubai VARA approval

Founded in 2014 by Yat Siu and David Kim, Animoca Brands has been a key Web3 player in gamification, metaverses, and NFTs, investing in over 540 companies, but it is now taking a leap into the crypto brokerage scene after receiving an in-principle license approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).

On VARA’s website, Animoca Brands, under the name Animoca Brands Middle East Advisory FZCO, has received an in-principle approval for a crypto broker-dealer VASP service license.

Animoca Brands enters the UAE to invest in Web3 projects

Animoca Brands, which has a large portfolio of investments in Web3 projects — including well-known names like The Sandbox, Axie Infinity, Pudgy Penguins, TrendX, 0G Labs, and projects like Kite AI and Aethir — entered the UAE in 2025, opening an office in Dubai and appointing Omar Elassar as its Managing Director.

At the time, Animoca Brands noted that the office would meet the growing demands of Web3 companies moving into the region and serve as a hub to engage with both local and international partners to foster innovation.

Back in 2024, Animoca Brands had already led a strategic funding round in UAE-based Param Labs, a Web3 blockchain gaming studio, for $7 million.

It had also sought to build strong relationships in the Saudi Arabian blockchain and Web3 ecosystem. It partnered with the NEOM Investment Fund, committing to a $50 million investment to develop Web3 infrastructure in the region.

While it might seem surprising that Animoca Brands, a well-known investor in Web3 entities, is now entering into crypto trading, it is not so far-fetched, given that Animoca Brands has a market cap of tokens issued by Animoca’s portfolio companies pegged at more than $45 billion.