SecureVisa Group is the UAE's independent CBUAE licensing and compliance partner — guiding fintechs, payment service providers, electronic money institutions (EMIs), and crypto-token businesses through every stage of Central Bank approval.
The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) is the supervisory and regulatory authority for the banking, insurance, and payments sector across the United Arab Emirates. It governs retail payments under the Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes (RPSCS) Regulation and payment tokens under the Payment Token Services Regulation (PTSR) — applying across the UAE including commercial free zones, but excluding the financial free zones (DIFC and ADGM).
CBUAE licenses and supervises banks, finance companies, exchange houses, and payment service providers, ensuring AML/CFT compliance, cybersecurity, and consumer protection.
The 2021 RPSCS Regulation sets licensing categories and capital thresholds for providers of payment accounts, stored value, merchant acquiring, and fund transfers.
The 2024 Payment Token Services Regulation governs dirham-backed and foreign-currency payment token issuance, custody, transfer, and conversion onshore in the UAE.
If your business operates in payments, digital banking, fintech, or crypto-token services, the CBUAE requires you to be fully licensed before serving UAE clients. SecureVisa Group identifies the exact category your business needs and manages the entire application.
For issuers of electronic money and stored-value e-wallets. Requires capital adequacy, safeguarding of client funds, and full AML/CFT and governance frameworks.
Under the RPSCS Regulation — covering payment accounts, payment-instrument issuance, merchant acquiring, and domestic and cross-border fund transfers.
For issuance, custody and transfer, and conversion of dirham-backed and foreign payment tokens. Requires reserve backing and full AML/CFT compliance.
Entities outside the UAE may register as Foreign Payment Token Issuers. VARA- or SCA-licensed VASPs need a Non-Objection Registration to continue token custody, transfer, and conversion.
From EMI licensing to PSP registration and PTSR approval, our end-to-end process delivers full CBUAE compliance — giving you a regulator-ready business from day one.
Evaluate your business concept and revenue model against current CBUAE categories (EMI, PSP, PTSR) to identify the correct license type, and align ownership, governance, and capital plan.
Compile, verify, and draft all documents — business plans, legal filings, financial models, and operations manuals — and project-manage the entire submission process.
Develop custom AML/KYC policies compliant with CBUAE regulations, internal risk frameworks, and compliance manuals, with staff trained and systems up to standard.
Act as your point of contact with the CBUAE, respond to regulatory requests, prepare you for examinations, and manage audit documentation for a seamless approval.
Monitor regulatory updates, oversee annual filings and compliance submissions, and maintain ongoing training to keep your license in good standing.
Ensure every operational and compliance step follows CBUAE rules so you can focus on scaling your business, knowing compliance is secure.
SecureVisa Group builds robust AML and KYC frameworks tailored for CBUAE-licensed payment service providers, fintech operators, and EMIs — covering risk-tiered KYC/KYB onboarding, CGSS-certified PEP and sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, goAML STR reporting, and independent AML/CFT programme assessments by CAMS-Audit credentialed reviewers.
Anti-Money Laundering refers to the systems, procedures, and policies your CBUAE-licensed business must maintain to detect and prevent money laundering — including transaction monitoring, suspicious activity reporting, and ongoing client risk assessment.
Know Your Customer is the verification and due diligence process required by the CBUAE for all licensed payment service providers — verifying identities, assessing PEP and sanctions exposure, and monitoring transactions to flag suspicious activity before it becomes a breach.
Our team holds the CBI-EIF (Central Bank of UAE AML & Compliance Certificate, Emirates Institute for Finance) alongside CAMS, CAMS-Audit, and CGSS credentials — directly aligned with CBUAE supervisory expectations and the UAE national AML strategy.
CBI-EIF certified and aligned with UAE-specific AML/CFT obligations and CBUAE supervisory expectations across every licensing category — EMI, PSP, Retail Payment Services, and PTSR.
Trusted by international fintechs, payment startups, EMI operators, and large UAE financial institutions, with a track record of successful licensing across Central Bank payment categories.
Transparent, actionable CBUAE licensing guidance — never government-run, always private, independent, and client-first. We tell you exactly what you need, what it costs, and how long it takes.
Most CBUAE engagements move from assessment to application submission within 6–10 weeks, with clear milestone-by-milestone communication and a local Dubai presence.
Any business providing retail payment services to UAE users — payment accounts, stored-value e-wallets, merchant acquiring, fund transfers, or payment-token services — typically must hold a CBUAE license.
The Payment Token Services Regulation (Circular No. 2/2024) regulates the issuance, custody and transfer, and conversion of dirham-backed and foreign payment tokens (stablecoins) onshore in the UAE.
No. CBUAE frameworks apply across the UAE including commercial free zones, but the financial free zones DIFC and ADGM are regulated by the DFSA and FSRA respectively.
Most engagements move from assessment to application submission within 6–10 weeks, with SVG managing every regulator interaction. Total approval time depends on category and Central Bank review.
From fintech startups and payment platforms to EMI operators, tokenization projects, and global enterprises, clients trust SecureVisa Group to navigate complex licensing, compliance, and cybersecurity across VARA, CMA, DFSA, ADGM FSRA, CBUAE, and GCGRA — turning regulatory complexity into measurable, long-term success.
Your trusted partner for regulatory compliance & licensing in the UAE.
