TL;DR: Google’s updated rules for UAE-targeted crypto exchange and wallet ads took effect October 21. Advertisers need an accepted local license and Google certification; the policy is not blanket permission for all crypto promotions.
Crypto exchanges and software-wallet providers targeting customers in the United Arab Emirates now face the licensing and certification conditions set out in Google’s updated advertising policy.
The change took effect on October 21, according to Google’s official policy notice. This is the implementation date of an earlier announcement, rather than a newly issued rule on Wednesday.
For the crypto exchange and software-wallet category, Google lists four accepted authorities: the Capital Market Authority, Dubai Financial Services Authority, Financial Services Regulatory Authority and Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. Advertisers also need certification from Google.
A financial-services authorization and permission to distribute an advertisement answer different questions. The first concerns the business’s regulated activities. The second concerns whether a particular platform will carry its marketing under that platform’s rules.
The updated notice links those processes but does not merge them. Possessing a license does not, on its own, establish that an advertiser has completed Google’s certification process.
Equally, a reader encountering an ad should not treat its appearance as an assurance about investment returns or a guarantee against loss. Advertising eligibility concerns access to the marketing channel; it is not an assessment of every transaction a customer might make afterward.
For firms, the operational consequences sit with campaign preparation. A company needs its authorization and certification details to match the service it is promoting and the jurisdiction it is targeting. Marketing teams cannot safely infer that eligibility in one market automatically carries over to another.
The notice also discusses other financial-product categories. Those should not be collapsed into one universal crypto rule: the license list above is the one Google provides specifically for cryptocurrency exchanges and software wallets targeting the UAE.
The immediate change is therefore precise. Eligible providers have an updated route to advertising access, with a local licensing requirement and a separate platform certification requirement attached.
This article was written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.
Bitcoin Magazine
Kraken Parent Payward Wins Full Dubai License, Plans UAE Launch
Crypto exchange Kraken’s parent company Payward has said it has plans to launch in the United Arab Emirates.
After receiving full market approval from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority, Payward said Tuesday that Payward can now operate as a regulated virtual asset service provider serving retail, professional and institutional investors.
It follows a preliminary approval in May that allowed the company to complete its operational set-up ahead of onboarding clients.
JUST IN:
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) October 13, 2026
At launch, Kraken clients in the UAE will be able to trade spot and margin with dirham-denominated pairs and fund and withdraw directly in dirhams.
They’ll also have access to on-chain staking, xStocks tokenized equities and Krak for crypto transfers, while institutional clients gain OTC spot trading and Kraken Prime. Crypto derivatives and new yield products are expected later in 2026 and into 2027, subject to regulatory approval.
Payward holds more than 100 licenses and registrations worldwide, spanning Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
The expansion comes as the company increasingly makes a number of deals. In September, Bloomberg reported that Nasdaq Inc. was investing $100 million in Payward in a deal valuing the company at $21 billion. Kraken will distribute Nasdaq’s tokenized stocks on its own platform, according to the report.
Payward and SoFi Technologies also recently announced a deal to route SoFi customers’ crypto orders through Kraken Prime, Kraken’s prime brokerage arm launched in 2025, and to list SoFi’s stablecoin on the exchange.
Kraken, like other crypto exchanges, is pushing into the traditional finance world, allowing users to trade stocks, bonds and other assets. The company has sold its app as a “primary account for everything.”
This post Kraken Parent Payward Wins Full Dubai License, Plans UAE Launch first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.
Login