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Institutions & ETFs · 1 min read

3iQ Secures In-Principle Approval for Category 4 License in Abu Dhabi

The digital asset manager's regional arm received initial regulatory clearance from ADGM's Financial Services Regulatory Authority.

Editorial oversight: Julian Mercer, Chief Editor
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$BTC $83,848 +1.0% $ETH $2,560 +2.3%

At a glance Announced

What happened
3iQ Middle East received In-Principle Approval for a Category 4 financial license from Abu Dhabi Global Market's FSRA on Oct. 12 [1].
Why it matters
The clearance advances 3iQ's efforts to provide regulated institutional digital asset management solutions in the United Arab Emirates [1].
Who is affected
3iQ Middle East Ltd and institutional investors seeking regulated digital asset products in Abu Dhabi [1].
What's next
3iQ must complete remaining regulatory requirements with the FSRA to secure full licensing [1].
Primary source
PR Newswire: 3iQ Receives In-Principal Approval from Abu Dhabi's IFC

Key points

  • 3iQ Middle East Ltd secured In-Principle Approval for a Category 4 license from ADGM's FSRA 1.
  • The manager previously teamed up with UAE-based Further to deploy its QMAP platform, backed by $100 million in sovereign-linked seed capital 1.
  • ADGM confirmed 3iQ will proceed through the remaining stages of the regulatory licensing process 1.

Digital asset investment manager 3iQ announced on Oct. 12 that its regional entity, 3iQ Middle East Ltd, secured In-Principle Approval for a Category 4 license from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market 1.

The preliminary clearance follows the firm's strategic collaboration with UAE-based digital asset manager Further 1. That partnership aims to provide institutional investors access to digital assets via the 3iQ Managed Account Platform, a vehicle that raised $100 million in sovereign-linked seed capital 1. The Canadian manager—a subsidiary of NASDAQ-listed Coincheck Group N.V.—has maintained an operational footprint in the United Arab Emirates since 2023 under regional head Rachel Pether 1.

Institutional Expansion Across the UAE

The move marks another international firm pursuing formal licensing in the Emirates, alongside peers expanding into neighboring regimes such as Caladan's in-principle broker-dealer approval in Dubai 1. Arvind Ramamurthy, chief market development officer at ADGM, said the financial centre will support 3iQ as the manager completes the remaining licensing requirements to secure a full operational permit 1.

At the time of writing, major digital assets traded higher, with $BTC trading around $83,425 and $ETH near $2,541. 3iQ indicated the Abu Dhabi authorization is part of a broader push to establish a licensed presence across major institutional digital asset hubs 1.

Sources

  1. [1] 3iQ Receives In-Principal Approval from Abu Dhabi's IFC — PR Newswire, October 12, 2026

Written by Basis Desk's newsroom system from the primary sources above and machine-verified against them before publication. Market figures marked "at the time of writing" come from live exchange data. Report an error: corrections@basisdesk.news · corrections policy.

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