UAE capital markets regulator rewrote rules — The National
In the UAE, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) has completely rewritten laws and regulatory rules as part of a reform that lasted 18 months. CMA Director General Waleed Al Awadi announced this at the Meira 2026 conference in Dubai, The National reports. According to him, the regulator aims not only to be a supervisory body but also to promote the development of the country’s financial sector and economy.
The CMA oversees activities in capital markets outside the UAE’s financial free zones. Al Awadi, who took over the agency in February 2025, said the reform is intended to strengthen the country’s position as an international financial jurisdiction.
Harmonizing rules
The CMA has agreed to harmonize regulatory approaches with the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). The DFSA regulates activities in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), while the FSRA is the regulator of Abu Dhabi’s ADGM financial centre.
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According to Al Awadi, representatives of the three regulators began discussing the alignment of rules about 18 months ago. They intend to follow the highest international standards of regulation, policy and compliance. The CMA chief called the diversity of jurisdictions one of the advantages of the UAE capital market, provided there is coordination between regulators.
Decree-laws and virtual assets
In January, the UAE issued two federal decree-laws to strengthen capital market regulation. They expanded the CMA’s independence and brought market operating rules closer to international regulatory approaches.
In April, the CMA also introduced a new framework for regulating virtual asset activities. Al Awadi said that the UAE’s financial system and capital markets had been tested by the global financial crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and the prolonged geopolitical crisis, which, in his view, strengthened investor confidence in the country.
