Binance becomes the first exchange to receive a full set of licenses from ADGM

Key points:

• ADGM approved three licenses for Binance, dividing its activities into an exchange, a clearing center, and a broker-dealer platform operating under the Nest brand.
• The license confirms Binance’s compliance with international regulatory standards and allows Binance to manage international services from Abu Dhabi.
• Binance.com is scheduled to begin regulated operations in ADGM on January 5, 2026.

The Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Financial Services Regulatory Authority has granted Binance three licenses, allowing the company to operate under the “gold standard” of regulation. This is the first time a cryptocurrency exchange has received a comprehensive license covering exchange, clearing, and broker-dealer operations under a single regulatory framework.

The license structures Binance’s activities into three independent companies operating under the Nest brand: Nest Exchange, Nest Clearing and Custody, and Nest Trading. Each organization has received its own set of licenses. This architecture mirrors the traditional structure of financial markets and allows the regulator to control each element of the infrastructure separately.

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What the ADGM license means for Binance

According to Binance co-CEO Richard Teng, the ADGM regulatory framework provides the exchange with predictable conditions and legitimacy on a global level. The FSRA license confirms Binance’s compliance with corporate governance, risk management, and consumer protection standards, and creates a legal basis for serving international clients from Abu Dhabi.

Teng noted that Binance’s distributed model remains in place, but working in ADGM creates a single center of oversight and increases user confidence.

The company said that operations under FSRA supervision will begin on January 5, 2026, after operational preparations are complete.

Binance previously paid users $283 million in compensation after unpegging assets during the market crash on October 10. The exchange reimbursed Earn product holders for their losses and covered position liquidations caused by sharp price fluctuations.