The Gulf Cooperation Council has entered the top tier of global digital-asset markets, according to new data from the Global Digital Assets Report 2025 issued by the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) and in collaboration with Arthur D. Little.
The report’s release coincides with the Singapore FinTech Festival 2025, where regulators and institutions worldwide are examining how emerging frameworks can balance innovation and oversight.
The findings reflect the GCC’s growing focus on establishing clear and comprehensive regulatory frameworks for digital assets. The report identifies the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar among the 12 jurisdictions assessed as global regulatory reference points, highlighting the Gulf’s progress in developing well-defined licensing regimes and institutional pilots. Singapore and Switzerland appear in the same global assessment, reflecting the international context against which the GCC’s frameworks are now evolving.
According to the report, the UAE ranks alongside Singapore and Switzerland in regulatory maturity. Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) and Abu Dhabi Global Market’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) are recognised for implementing activity-based licensing that connects innovation to investor protection. Saudi Arabia’s SAMA and Capital Market Authority (CMA) are developing supervisory regimes for tokenisation pilots and cross-border payment corridors. In Qatar, the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA) is progressing frameworks for tokenised-asset applications within existing financial-sector laws.
The study draws on interviews with more than 40 regulators, central bankers and financial executives from Asia, Europe and the Middle East. It finds that investor participation is rising fastest in markets with clear regulatory parameters. GCC jurisdictions are now part of that group, reflecting structured cooperation across the UAE and Qatar to support responsible market development and interoperability.
“The data shows a region that has moved to real economy application,” said Sopnendu Mohanty, Group CEO of GFTN. “Behind the numbers is a simple reality: capital follows clarity. The Gulf’s regulators are building frameworks designed for responsible innovation.”
Arjun Vir Singh, Partner at Arthur D. Little Middle East said “Our collaboration with GFTN reflects Arthur D. Little’s commitment to evidence-based insight. The GCC’s frameworks demonstrate how clear policy design can accelerate market readiness and strengthen institutional confidence in digital finance.”
The GFTN Global Digital Assets Report 2025, prepared in collaboration with Arthur D. Little, was unveiled during the Singapore FinTech Festival (12 to 14 November 2025) and the Insights Forum. It provides a cross-jurisdictional reference for policymakers and financial institutions assessing the evolution of digital money, tokenisation and decentralised finance, and documents how the GCC’s structured approach now ranks among the world’s most advanced regulatory models, providing a foundation for continued cooperation between regional authorities and global standard-setters.
