Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have issued a joint statement refuting recent online claims suggesting that digital currency investors are eligible for the country’s coveted golden visa program.
The clarification was made by three key government entities: the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), and the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).
UAE authority clarifies no Golden Visa issuance for crypto investors. So $TON holders, relax. pic.twitter.com/OOamIA1Dgk
— Panzuki.eth⚡️ (@PandaAsiaStreet) July 7, 2025
According to the ICP, the golden visa is granted based on strict, predefined criteria. These include categories such as real estate investors, entrepreneurs, exceptional talents, scientists, top university graduates, humanitarian pioneers, and frontline workers. Notably, investments in digital or virtual assets do not qualify under any of these categories.
Building on that clarification, the SCA emphasized that the UAE’s financial markets are governed by global regulatory standards aimed at transparency and long-term investor protection. While crypto assets are regulated under a separate framework, they are not connected in any way to residency or immigration privileges such as the golden visa.
In alignment with this, Dubai’s VARA also firmly denied any connection between virtual asset investments and golden visa eligibility. The authority warned investors to avoid misinformation and to engage only with firms that are fully licensed and compliant with local regulations. VARA further reiterated its ongoing efforts to ensure consumer protection and market integrity through collaboration with both federal and local entities.
Additionally, VARA addressed misleading references to the company TON in circulating claims. It confirmed that TON is neither licensed nor supervised by the authority, warning the public to avoid interacting with unregulated entities.
Meanwhile, in a separate regulatory development, the UAE has officially approved Circle the issuer of the USDC stablecoin as a licensed money services provider. This license, granted by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), marks another step forward in the country’s growing embrace of regulated digital finance.
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