Global digital asset companies and institutional capital are looking for a base, and Dubai is making its case. At the same time, AI is moving into the heart of finance, with UAE banks already putting agentic AI into production. Sébastien Marque, Vice President of Strategy at Luna PR, explains what crypto, AI and robotics firms are asking for when they choose where to set up. He also compares Dubai’s appeal for institutions, looks at the growing competition from other hubs, and describes where crypto and AI are starting to meet.
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What Global Crypto and AI Companies Want From Dubai and How It Can Stay Ahead
Global digital asset companies are looking for a base, and they are considering Dubai. What are they asking for?
It is a combination of a few things that have made Dubai so attractive in recent years. First, regulatory clarity, with proper licensing paths and a framework you can trust, one that is clear and not ambiguous. At the same time the business environment here remains a bit of a sandbox. So it is regulation that brings clarity without hampering innovation, which is a very fine line to balance, and I think the UAE is positioned uniquely in that sense. We have seen major exchanges getting their VARA approvals and Coinbase setting up at ADGM in Abu Dhabi.
You work with crypto, AI and robotics companies from a communications seat. What do you hear from firms deciding where to set up next?
In the past years there has been a real inflow of companies from Europe and North America looking to set up here, because they see the UAE as a more favourable area. It comes back to the same things: an environment that eliminates a lot of the friction in setting up a business, scaling it and getting the licences needed to achieve business goals. We also hear that, from the government level, it is a very forward thinking government that wants to be at the forefront of digital asset adoption across financial systems, and of AI.
Institutional capital is moving closer to digital assets. What does Dubai offer that other hubs do not?
An appetite for innovation, and an appetite for not being behind when it comes to the major shifts in how the financial system operates. You see it across the board, with the Standard Chartered UAE crypto offering, and Visa at the forefront of agentic AI in the financial system. There is a layer of trust and comfort in being able to try these things, with partners, liquidity and a government ecosystem that lets you try them out and gain a first mover advantage.
How much of Dubai's pull comes from its rules, and how much from everything around them?
It goes back to my first point. There is a level of trust in knowing where you stand with regulation. The rules are there, and the pathways to licensing and to operating are relatively clear. That is not the case in a lot of jurisdictions. Whole regions like Europe are notoriously complicated, with loopholes and red tape. The UAE and Dubai in particular are really good at eliminating that friction and allowing the most innovative companies to innovate and have an impact quickly.
Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Singapore are all courting the same companies. What does Dubai need to do to stay ahead?
It needs to keep doing what it is doing. That means opening its doors and encouraging the bigger players in finance, AI and robotics to come and operate here, and making things easier for them. And from a government perspective, look at Dubai's work with tokenization. There are proof points and case studies being built every single day, some led by financial institutions and banks and some led by the government itself. That combination is something Dubai needs to keep leaning into, because the more case studies and proof you can put out there, the better the pitch. If you look at the caliber of companies that have come to Dubai and the UAE, I think they are on the right path.
UAE banks are putting agentic AI into production. How fast is AI changing financial services in the region?
It is changing at the same pace as AI is changing itself. A year ago, the level to which you could incorporate AI into banking systems and transactions would have been unimaginable. AI is progressing at an incredibly rapid speed, and we see it in the new pilots constantly popping up with some of the biggest banks in the world implementing these things here in the UAE.
Crypto and AI are starting to converge, with AI agents able to make payments and trade. Where do the two meet in finance?
There may be a misconception that agentic trading means AI agents can carry out every step of the financial system. I do not think we are at that point yet. There are clear guardrails that still need to be outlined. But pilots are being put in place for agentic AI taking on transactions in the banking ecosystem, within very safe environments. Given recent news of hacks at some of the biggest traditional banks in Europe, it is important to safeguard these things and test them in a safe environment. As for digital assets, the ambition for the whole space is to become the rails upon which the banking system operates, and we have seen clear signs of that happening. Exchanges across the world implementing 24/7 trading is a direct correlation with digital assets becoming more institutional and more accepted in the broader ecosystem.
What would make MENA a truly global player in digital assets and AI, not just a regional one?
I do not want to get ahead of myself, but I think they are already more than a regional player. In the digital asset space, every leading exchange, every payment rail, Layer 1 infrastructure, tokenization and real world asset player, you name it, the bigger players are either incorporated or operating out of the region. The UAE and the GCC at large have always been a hub connecting Europe and the US to Asia, and I think that is going to continue.