Binance has secured authorization from Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM), Abu Dhabi’s special economic zone for finance, to operate under a comprehensive exchange, clearing, and brokerage framework according to a press release from Binance.
The approval breaks Binance’s business into three regulated components that mirror a traditional market stack in a traditional finance exchange. Binance’s ADGM presence will be organized under three locally incorporated entities branded as Nest, a regulatory requirement that allows the Financial Services Regulatory Authority to supervise each function separately.
Nest Exchange has been licensed as a Recognized Investment Exchange to operate spot and derivatives trading. Nest Clearing and Custody has been authorized as a Recognized Clearing House with additional custody and CSD permissions, giving the regulator oversight of clearing, settlement, and asset safeguarding. Nest Trading has been approved as a broker-dealer covering off-exchange and OTC activity.
Although structured under the Nest brand, all three entities are controlled by Binance and serve as the licensed infrastructure through which Binance.com will operate in Abu Dhabi, aligning the platform with the market-structure standards regulators are pushing global exchanges to adopt.
Richard Teng, Binance’s co-CEO, said the framework reflects a commitment to “compliance, transparency, and user protection,” while His Excellency Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, ADGM’s chairman, said Binance’s arrival underscores Abu Dhabi’s role as a “leading international hub for innovation, sustainable growth, and the future of finance.”
Binance and ADGM declined to comment. Some observers have speculated that this license means Binance will be moving its headquarters to Abu Dhabi but this has not been confirmed.
Binance has been on the hunt for a jurisdiction to call home for some time, with Teng telling CoinDesk in 2024 that the process would take some time and the company needed to be “thoughtful” about it.
UPDATE (Dec. 8, 09:36 UTC): Updates with Binance and ADGM response. Updates with line about Binance’s headquarters.
