On December 8, Binance, the biggest crypto exchange in the world, announced that it had marked an important milestone, becoming the first ever crypto trading platform to secure a full suite of licenses from FSRA under the Abu Dhabi Global Market.
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) is the independent financial regulatory authority for the ADGM, an international centre in the UAE, responsible for licensing, supervising, and ensuring high standards for financial firms in its jurisdiction.
FSRA operates under English Common Law and focuses on:
- Innovation
- Market stability
- Investor protection
Binance’s Transition to ADGM
In its official announcement, the crypto exchange highlighted that in line with the ADGM FSRA requirements, the platform’s operations will transition to a new regulatory structure designed to boost:
- Clarity
- Oversight
- Risk management
Binance addressed the following key points following this latest achievement:
New ADGM Regulatory Structure
Starting January 5, 2026, at 08:00 (UTC), the exchange’s services will be provided via 3 ADGM-licensed entities (Nest Exchange Services Limited, Nest Clearing and Custody Limited, Nest Trading Limited).
Each entity will act as a data controller for the service it provides.
The structure mirrors regulatory architecture used in traditional finance, and every part of the exchange’s operations will run under precise, purpose-built regulatory permissions.
Changes to Binance Service Providers
To facilitate the transition, the rights and obligations under Binance’s users’ existing Terms of Use will be novated to relevant ADGM entities, meaning that the contractual relationship will continue with these entities.
Clearing and Custody Arrangements
Starting on January 5, 2026, users’ open positions for on-exchange derivative transactions will be given up for clearing to Nest Clearing and Custody Limited, a central counterparty and the custodian of user digital assets.
How Changes Affect Binance Users
The crypto exchange explained that these changes will not affect the way in which users interact with Binance, and the daily use of the platform will remain substantially the same:
- User funds will remain SAFU.
- Users’ UID, login details, and account setup remain the same.
- Fees and product access will not change.
- No new taxes will have to be paid by users.
Binance updated the Terms of Use on its official website.
A Huge Milestone for Binance and the Crypto Industry
This milestone, marked by the crypto exchange, reflects:
- A huge turning point for the crypto industry.
- A significant leap for global crypto adoption.
- One step closer to a billion users.
CZ, Binance’s founder, also highlighted the importance of the event.
The big news comes after the Binance Blockchain Week, a two-day event that took place last week in Dubai, bringing together builders, speakers, and innovators in the industry and beyond.
The crypto exchange recently surpassed 300 million registered users on the platform. Also, last week, Yi He became the Binance co-CEO.
