Animoca Brands Secures ADGM Financial Services Permission to Manage Collective Investment Funds

Animoca Brands is strengthening its presence in the Middle East after its subsidiary, Animoca Asset Management (AD) Limited, obtained a Financial Services Permission from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).

The licence authorizes the subsidiary to conduct the regulated activity of managing collective investment funds in or from ADGM, giving the blockchain-focused company a formal route to expand its investment management operations within Abu Dhabi’s financial centre.

The approval forms part of Animoca Brands’ broader strategy to deepen its involvement in digital assets and blockchain infrastructure, while building connections between traditional finance and decentralized networks. The company is also pursuing opportunities involving tokenized assets, agentic artificial intelligence and Web3 applications, alongside its focus on digital property rights.

Min Du, CEO and director of the ADGM-licensed subsidiary, described the approval as an important milestone in the company’s Middle East expansion. He said the permission would allow Animoca Asset Management to manage collective investment funds within a robust regulatory framework and create opportunities to connect institutional capital with developments in agentic AI and digital assets.

ADGM licence strengthens Animoca’s regulated presence in Abu Dhabi

Arvind Ramamurthy, Head of Market Development at ADGM, welcomed Animoca Brands into the financial centre’s ecosystem, noting that fund management activities can help strengthen connections between institutional investors and the digital asset industry.

He added that ADGM looks forward to supporting the company’s growth and contributing to Abu Dhabi’s position as a hub for digital finance innovation.

The approval is also a notable development in Animoca Brands’ regulatory footprint in the UAE. While the company previously secured a licence from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), its regional presence has attracted limited prominent news coverage in recent months.

Hopefully, the new ADGM permission brings the company back into focus as digital asset firms continue to establish operations within the UAE’s regulated financial centres.

What comes next for Animoca Brands?

The Animoca Brands ADGM permission will ultimately depend on what Asset Management does with it. The launch of investment funds, the types of assets they hold and the company’s ability to attract institutional capital will help determine the scale of its role in Abu Dhabi’s digital asset market.

The approval provides a regulated foundation for Animoca to pursue fund management activities from ADGM. But the more important question is how effectively the company can translate its wider Web3 strategy into investment products that appeal to institutional investors.

As Abu Dhabi continues to develop its digital finance ecosystem, Animoca’s next moves could offer a clearer indication of how established blockchain companies intend to connect traditional pools of capital with emerging digital asset markets.