Why Copper Securities Is Doubling Down on ADGM: Insights from CSL’s Leadership
Copper Securities (ME) Limited (CSL), part of the global Copper Group, has recently announced plans to significantly expand its virtual asset custody, settlement, and collateral management services in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), constituting an important advancement in the company’s global roadmap.
The development, currently awaiting approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), positions CSL to become a central hub for institutional digital asset infrastructure across the Middle East.
The planned expansion highlights the growing importance of ADGM as a bridge between global capital markets and the rapidly evolving digital asset ecosystem. In fact, Copper aims to extend its regulated offerings to include a comprehensive suite of virtual asset and digital security services tailored to the needs of fund managers, banks, family offices, trading firms, and sovereign wealth entities seeking safe, compliant access to crypto and tokenized markets.
A Leader With Deep ADGM Roots
Central to Copper’s regional push is Charlotte Nedir, Senior Executive Officer of CSL, who recently transitioned from Paxos to lead Copper’s strategy in Abu Dhabi. Speaking with UNLOCK Blockchain, Nedir explained that the move reflects both her professional conviction and her deep alignment with ADGM’s long-term vision.
“My move to Copper was driven by the opportunity to bring a truly global custodial and settlement platform to ADGM, the center where my UAE career has grown and to which I am deeply committed,” Nedir said. “Copper’s vision and technology stood out immediately. This role offered the perfect blend of career growth and mission alignment.”
Her background spans more than 15 years across securities brokerage, structured products, and digital asset licensing. At Paxos, she helped establish a regulated stablecoin issuance entity in ADGM, giving her firsthand experience navigating the technical and regulatory complexity of building compliant digital asset businesses in the jurisdiction.
Copper, she added, represents the next phase of her leadership journey:
“Leading a larger team, delivering a broader product suite, and contributing meaningfully to Copper’s global trajectory, all while ensuring our Abu Dhabi entity becomes a cornerstone for institutional adoption in the Middle East.”
Why ADGM Is Becoming a Global Anchor for Institutional Digital Assets
While global hubs like the U.S. and Europe continue to calibrate their digital asset policy frameworks, Copper sees ADGM as uniquely positioned to lead.
“ADGM combines a clear, institution-grade digital assets regime with access to a fast-growing pool of regional and global capital,” Nedir explained. “It has one of the most mature, purpose-built frameworks for digital assets globally.”
Unlike other jurisdictions where firms must navigate fragmented permissions for digital assets, tokenized securities, and other blockchain-based instruments, ADGM offers a unified framework covering all three, a major advantage for institutional players building multi-asset strategies.
This alignment, she said, makes ADGM an essential pillar in Copper’s global roadmap.
Institutional Appetite in the UAE Is Surging
Undoubtedly, demand for regulated digital asset services in the Middle East is expanding rapidly. Sovereign wealth funds, banks, and asset managers are accelerating their digital transformation strategies and increasingly require enterprise-grade custody, risk mitigation, and settlement tools.
Copper is well-positioned to meet this need.
“Copper is not new to this space. It has spent years engineering infrastructure designed to minimize exchange counterparty and concentration risk,” Nedir noted. “Our track record and our risk-conscious innovation are why hundreds of institutions already rely on Copper today.”
Expanding CSL’s footprint in ADGM allows institutions in the region to access Copper’s global platform while benefiting from the clarity and regulatory standards of the UAE.
What Institutions Need as Markets Move On-Chain
As capital markets migrate toward tokenized and blockchain-based settlement, Nedir highlighted three core technical capabilities that are becoming indispensable:
1. Scalable, Secure Custody
Multi-Party Computation (MPC) has become the institutional benchmark, eliminating single points of failure and delivering cryptographic security at scale.
2. Integrated Collateral and Settlement Networks
Institutions require infrastructure that connects multiple trading venues, L1/L2 networks, and permissioned blockchains, reducing liquidity fragmentation and lowering counterparty risk.
This interoperability must be standardized to prevent institutions from becoming locked into a single provider or network.
3. Convergence With Traditional Finance
As tokenization expands from crypto into digital securities and other structured instruments, regulated platforms must support multi-asset operations and maintain compliance across jurisdictions.
“Institutions must be able to transact on-chain with the same rigor, transparency, and confidence they expect in conventional markets,” she said.
A Global Strategy Grounded in Abu Dhabi
As for Copper Group CEO Amar Kuchinad, he mentioned in the press release that the Middle East has become a core strategic region for the company’s global ambitions.
“Traditional financial institutions are increasingly entering the crypto asset class and adopting blockchain technology,” he said. “The Middle East, and ADGM in particular, provides the clarity and confidence institutions demand.”
Kuchinad emphasized that CSL is set to become a cornerstone of Copper’s global regulated services offering, complementing the firm’s expanding Web3 technology and enterprise infrastructure solutions.
Abu Dhabi as a Gateway Between Traditional Finance and Web3
ADGM’s regulatory leadership continues to attract global firms looking for stability, clarity, and access to institutional capital. With CSL’s planned expansion, Copper aligns itself with the region’s rapidly maturing digital asset ecosystem and reinforces Abu Dhabi’s position as a global center for responsible innovation.
As Copper works with the FSRA toward approval, Nedir sees the moment as a strategic inflection point:
“We are enthusiastic about contributing to Abu Dhabi’s growth and bringing Copper’s secure, capital-efficient custody, settlement, and collateral solutions to the Middle East. This marks an important chapter, not just for CSL, but for institutional digital asset adoption across the region.”
