Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) announced its entry into the Metaverse with the establishment of its Metaverse HQ in the dynamic virtual world of ‘The Sandbox’.
As the world’s first regulator to make its debut in the Metaverse, VARA seeks to ensure that the regulator is accessible to its industry in their environment, and facilitate collaborative engagement between global Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), Industry Thought-leaders, and International Regulatory Authorities.
VARA, established to provide a secure and progressive operating framework for the virtual asset (VA) sector to be able to scale, while assuring market and investor protection, expects to regulate the governing principles of the services and activities, rather than the continually-evolving products and underlying technologies. This bold move reflects Dubai Government’s confidence in Virtual Assets being integral to the future digital economy, and its readiness to establish the Emirate as the world’s Virtual Assets Capital.
Inaugurating the VARA MetaHQ on the Sandbox, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, said, “Dubai maintains a leading position at the forefront of technological transformation. We have exceeded the role of an early adopter to become an innovator and participant in shaping the future of this technology. Today, VARA joins the Metaverse to become Dubai’s – and the Metaverse’s – first government authority, ushering in a new era in which Dubai Government utilises modern innovations to extend its services and regulatory power to audiences in an open technological expanse, without constraints or borders. VARA represents a serious effort to build a new, powerful economic sector that contributes to the nation’s economy and creates new investment opportunities, and this is possible through the safe and modern regulatory solutions we envision. Our presence in the Metaverse therefore marks the beginning of a new phase in the Dubai Government’s march for the future; one that will have a positive impact in the long run.”
Sheikh Hamdan went on to add, “VARA has been established as a mission-focused Regulator, to nurture and safely scale a rapidly decentralising business landscape founded on four cornerstone principles – secure cross-border interoperability, informed investor adoption, market protection prioritisation and responsible industry participation.
“By expanding VARA’s resources to a borderless audience through the Metaverse, Dubai is creating a prototype Decentralised Regulator Model, inviting international thought leaders – global authorities, governance custodians, and industry shapers – to participate, exchange knowledge, and problem-solve collectively so that we enable the dynamic virtual assets sector to build economic resilience, accelerate social inclusion, and address environmental sustainability.”
In an emphatic commitment to enable economic freedom in the Metaverse, VARA joins private sector game-changers, innovators and market makers across ICT, Financial and Professional services, Lifestyle, Entertainment and FMCG beyond the world of gaming and VASPs. VARA MetaHQ will serve as its primary channel to engage VASPs across the globe to initiate applications, enable younger licensees enter the metaverse, openly share knowledge and experiences with consumers and peer regulators to raise awareness, enable safe adoption, and drive global interoperability.
Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General, Dubai World Trade Centre Authority, commented, “Dubai views the virtual asset industry as the driver of the global future economy. VARA has been established at a pivotal moment in response to the expansion of the Emirate’s incredibly sophisticated and modern legal framework regulating virtual asset activities. As the first niche regulator for the VA sector globally, VARA’s Metaverse HQ also makes the UAE the first jurisdiction to enter this platform, reflecting our leadership’s aspiration to facilitate a borderless new market enabling sustainable economic freedom.
”VARA’s acquiring land in the Sandbox is symbolic of our belief in this sector, and the onus is on us as government to be the bridge that allows investors and consumers to safely adopt, and collaboratively scale the economy. In addition to yielding direct economic benefit and GDP acceleration for Dubai, the VARA sees this as the first step towards shared learning and expertise development across global regulators, so that the international community can benefit from a virtual economy that has been allowed to scale safely and sustainably.”
