For VARA licensees and other regulated firms
Marketing a regulated business in the UAE: what you may promote
The short answer
A regulated business may promote only the activities its licence covers, and only as its regulator's marketing rules allow. Under VARA's Regulations on the Marketing of Virtual Assets and Related Activities 2024, marketing of a virtual-asset activity in or targeting the UAE must be done by the firm VARA has licensed for that activity, or on its behalf and with its approval, and the records must be kept for at least eight years. We review every piece against those rules before publication and promote nothing the licence does not cover.
VARA's rules define Marketing widely: any advertisement, invitation, inducement, solicitation, offer or promotion, through any channel. That reaches social posts, podcasts, live streams, events held in the Emirate, branded merchandise, airdrops and educational content about virtual-asset activities. Financial products are promoted under the rules of the regulator that licenses them, and health, education and other sectors have approval regimes for advertising of their own. In each case the licence decides what may be said, and the regulator can ask to see the record.
A marketing team that learns the rules after the campaign is written ends up rewriting it. VARA's rules bar a call to buy, any urgency or fear of missing out, and any suggestion that returns are guaranteed, so a footer cannot fix them. They are design constraints from the first brief, and the adviser who knows the regulator reviews each piece before it is published. Hiring an agency does not move the responsibility: the licensed entity stays accountable for what the agency publishes, and the agency can be held liable too.
At a glance
- Indicative cost
- Media is bought at cost; regulator approval fees, where any, are the regulator's; the Velarozone service fee for the plan, the creative and the review is itemised in your engagement letter.
- Timing
- Scope first, then the build and the review. Publication waits for the regulator's approval where one is required, such as VARA's compliance confirmation for an incentive.
- What's included
- A plan scoped to the licence and the rules
- Creative built with the warnings and disclosures designed in
- Every piece reviewed and recorded before publication
This is for you if
- You hold, or are applying for, a VARA licence or another licence whose regulator sets rules on promotion.
- You want every campaign to stand up when the regulator asks for your marketing records, as VARA can on request.
- You have been asked by a regulator, a platform or a partner to evidence your marketing compliance.
- You need the risk warning, the paid-partnership disclosure and the retention file built into the work, not added afterwards.
This may not be the right route if
- You are not yet licensed and want to promote the activity anyway. VARA allows a VA Activity to be marketed only by, or for, a firm it has licensed for that activity, and we do not.
- You want the compliance review skipped for speed.
- You want a legal opinion on the regulations; that comes from a licensed law firm, which we coordinate.
At a glance
- Indicative cost
- Media is bought at cost; regulator approval fees, where any, are the regulator's; the Velarozone service fee for the plan, the creative and the review is itemised in your engagement letter.
- Timing
- Scope first, then the build and the review. Publication waits for the regulator's approval where one is required, such as VARA's compliance confirmation for an incentive.
- What's included
- A plan scoped to the licence and the rules
- Creative built with the warnings and disclosures designed in
- Every piece reviewed and recorded before publication
What this service includes
- A marketing plan scoped to the licence and the regulator's rules.
- Campaign creative (digital, public relations, collateral) built with the required warnings and disclosures.
- Review of every piece against the rules before publication, by the adviser who knows the regulator.
- The marketing record kept for as long as the rules require, which is at least eight years under VARA's rules, and ready to be shown on request.
- Coordination of regulator approvals where the rules require them, such as VARA's compliance confirmation for an incentive.
What it does not include
- Marketing of any activity the licence does not cover, or before the licence is issued.
- Legal opinions on the regulations, which come from a licensed law firm.
- Any promise of results.
Process
How the work is sequenced
Each stage has its own dependencies (activity approvals, document legalisation, authority processing, and bank review), and we report progress against them rather than against one overall date.
- 01
Scope
The licence and the regulator's rules read, then written down: which activities may be promoted, to which audience, with which warnings.
- 02
Build
Creative written inside the rules, for example with no call to buy and no urgency under VARA, and the risk warning designed into the layout.
- 03
Review and approve
Every piece reviewed against the rules; regulator approvals obtained where required.
Not yet licensed? Nothing is promoted before the licence exists, and we say so first.
Prefer to start in writing? Send the details through the contact form.
Start with a structure assessment
In an initial consultation you receive a plain-language decision summary, a document-preparation list, and the next actions for your situation. Current figures are confirmed within your adviser-reviewed route comparison.
What the rules touch
Six places the rules reach into a campaign
Each row is settled before the creative is written. The requirements shown are VARA's 2024 Marketing Regulations; another regulator's rules differ, and we read them first.
Six elements of a campaign, what VARA's Marketing Regulations 2024 require of each, and how the work is built.
What is promoted
- What VARA's rules require
- Only a VA Activity the firm is VARA-licensed to carry out; anonymity-enhanced cryptocurrencies may not be marketed at all
- How the work is built
- The licence read first; the offer scoped to it
To whom
- What VARA's rules require
- Where a product is limited to certain classes of investor, the marketing must reach only those classes
- How the work is built
- Targeting settings and channels chosen to exclude everyone else
Claims
- What VARA's rules require
- Fair, clear and not misleading; no claim that investments are safe, low risk or easy, or that returns are guaranteed; no urgency
- How the work is built
- Every claim checked against those limits, with its source on file
Warnings and disclosures
- What VARA's rules require
- A prominent warning that value can be lost in full or in part and that there is no financial protection; paid partnerships labelled
- How the work is built
- Placed in the layout so that small print never contradicts the headline message
Approval
- What VARA's rules require
- Approval by the licensed entity before an agency publishes for it; VARA's compliance confirmation for any incentive
- How the work is built
- The adviser who knows the regulator reviews before publication
Records
- What VARA's rules require
- A record of all Marketing and how it was distributed, kept for at least eight years after it last ran
- How the work is built
- Every piece filed with its approval and its dates
| Element | What VARA's rules require | How the work is built |
|---|---|---|
| What is promoted | Only a VA Activity the firm is VARA-licensed to carry out; anonymity-enhanced cryptocurrencies may not be marketed at all | The licence read first; the offer scoped to it |
| To whom | Where a product is limited to certain classes of investor, the marketing must reach only those classes | Targeting settings and channels chosen to exclude everyone else |
| Claims | Fair, clear and not misleading; no claim that investments are safe, low risk or easy, or that returns are guaranteed; no urgency | Every claim checked against those limits, with its source on file |
| Warnings and disclosures | A prominent warning that value can be lost in full or in part and that there is no financial protection; paid partnerships labelled | Placed in the layout so that small print never contradicts the headline message |
| Approval | Approval by the licensed entity before an agency publishes for it; VARA's compliance confirmation for any incentive | The adviser who knows the regulator reviews before publication |
| Records | A record of all Marketing and how it was distributed, kept for at least eight years after it last ran | Every piece filed with its approval and its dates |
The service
Marketing
Strategy, brand, digital campaigns and public relations, with VARA's marketing rules applied where the client is a licensed virtual-asset firm.
See the marketing service
Every route is planned against how the business will actually operate in the UAE.
After the licence
What you may also need
The four services most founders in this situation ask about next, each on its own page.
Visas & PRO services
Residence visas for owners, staff and family, plus the MOHRE labour files, medicals and Emirates ID renewals that keep a licence and its people in good standing. A sponsored visa lasts 1, 2 or 3 years; approval stays with the authority.
→UAE bank account setup
A bank-ready file built around your ownership, activity and expected transactions, matched to the bank whose risk appetite suits your profile. The bank alone decides approval and timing.
→Accounting & tax
Monthly bookkeeping, VAT and corporate-tax filings and year-end accounts, with statutory audit signed by a registered auditor.
→Legal services
Contracts, corporate documents, disputes and regulatory matters, advised by lawyers licensed to practise in the UAE and named in the engagement letter.
→
Next decision
Related reading
Questions
Frequently asked
- Can we market before the licence is issued?
- No. Under VARA's rules, marketing of a VA Activity may be carried out only by a VASP licensed by VARA for that activity, or on its behalf and with its approval, so an unlicensed firm cannot market it. Pre-launch communication that does not promote the regulated activity is a separate question, and we scope it with the same care.
- What risk warning does VARA require in marketing?
- Marketing of a virtual asset must carry a prominent disclaimer that the asset may lose value in full or in part and is subject to extreme volatility. It must also state that the investor can lose all the money invested and has no financial protection. Small print must not contradict the main message. Other regulators prescribe their own wording, and we design the warning into the piece, not under it.
- How long are marketing records kept?
- VARA requires a record of all Marketing and its distribution details for a minimum of eight years from the date the Marketing last ran, available for inspection on request. Other regulators set their own periods. We file every piece with its approval and publication dates so the record can be produced when asked.
- Does this apply to social media and influencers?
- Yes. VARA's definition of Marketing covers social media posts, comments, endorsements, live streams and podcasts, and paid third-party content must carry a clear and prominent notice that it is remunerated. Separately, an individual who publishes advertising content on social media needs an advertising permit, which the National Media Authority lists as free for the first 3 years and AED 1,000 after. Both are planned and reviewed like any other piece.
- Who decides whether a claim is allowed?
- The rules do, and the licensed entity stays responsible: under VARA's rules an entity that uses an agency remains answerable for the agency's marketing, and the agency needs the entity's approval before it publishes. The adviser who knows the regulator applies the rules, and a licensed law firm advises on any genuinely legal point. We never publish first and check afterwards.
Sources
- Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA)
- VARA Regulations on the Marketing of Virtual Assets and Related Activities 2024
- Securities and Commodities Authority: Chairman's Decision No. 13/RM of 2021, the Rulebook of Financial Activities (promotion and introduction)
Regulations, fees, and eligibility can change. Every regulatory statement is re-checked before publication and dated above.
Legal notes and scope
Velarozone provides setup and operational-readiness coordination. This page is general information, not legal, tax, immigration, or banking advice.
General information drawn from the CBUAE Rulebook, including the Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation (C 15/2021), and Cabinet Resolution No. (134) of 2025 as published, not legal or tax advice. Rules and guidance change, so confirm the current text and each institution's own requirements before you submit.
Marketing for virtual-asset activities in Dubai is subject to the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority's Marketing Regulations; Velarozone undertakes such marketing only where the entity holds a VARA licence and reviews every communication against those regulations. Other regulated sectors are marketed within their own regulators' rules. Nothing here is a legal opinion or a promise of results.