Nomura’s Laser Digital Makes History: Dubai Grants First-Ever Crypto Derivatives License

Wall Street meets the desert—Laser Digital just grabbed Dubai's golden ticket.

The Nomura-backed crypto arm scored the region's first derivatives license, letting institutional players gamble on crypto's wild swings with regulatory cover. Finally, banks can lose money on leverage without breaking the law.

Why Dubai? The emirate's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has been handing out approvals like festival candy—but derivatives were the last taboo. Now the floodgates open for complex bets in a market that never sleeps.

Watch the dominos fall: Where Dubai leads, Singapore and Hong Kong follow. Just don't ask who's holding the bag when the music stops.

Laser Digital, supported by Nomura, has received approval from Dubai’s VIRTUAL Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) to offer crypto derivatives over-the-counter (OTC). This makes Laser Digital the first regulated firm in Dubai to provide direct client-facing crypto options on major tokens. The license marks a major step toward safer, regulated crypto trading and reinforces Dubai’s role as a growing global hub for digital finance and institutional crypto investment.