Animoca Brands completes Abu Dhabi approval to manage funds for professional investors

Animoca Brands clears Abu Dhabi fund management approval

Animoca Brands said Monday it has received approval in Abu Dhabi to manage investment funds for non-retail clients. The authorization was granted to its subsidiary, Animoca Asset Management (AD) Limited, by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial center in the UAE capital.

The approval lets the subsidiary oversee funds that pool money from professional investors rather than the general public. According to the announcement, it took effect on Oct. 13.

Key points

• The FSRA granted final approval to Animoca Asset Management (AD) Limited to manage funds for non-retail clients.
• The approval took effect on Oct. 13, 2026.
• The process began with in-principle approval in November 2025.
• In February, Animoca also secured a Dubai license for virtual asset brokerage and investment management services for institutional and qualified investors.
• The company is positioning itself as a regulated financial services institution, focusing on stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization, and treasury management.

What the FSRA approval covers

The authorization allows Animoca Asset Management (AD) Limited to oversee pooled investment funds serving professional investors only, not retail customers. The company stated the announcement on Monday marked the completion of a process that started with in-principle approval from the FSRA in November 2025.

From mobile games to regulated finance

Animoca Brands began as a mobile game developer. It was spun off from the game company Animoca in 2014 and initially built and published games based on licensed brands as well as original titles. The company shifted its focus to blockchain — the shared digital ledger technology behind crypto assets — in 2018.

It then built an investment portfolio that included the NFT marketplace OpenSea, Dapper Labs, and Sky Mavis, the developer behind Axie Infinity. In a September investor update, the company described a broader transition from a digital asset and Web3 operator into a regulated financial services institution operating across multiple jurisdictions. Under that strategy, digital assets take on a more institutional role in the business, with a focus on stablecoins — crypto tokens designed to hold a steady value — real-world asset tokenization, and treasury management.

Why this matters for institutional crypto

The company said the Abu Dhabi approval supports its push to serve institutional demand for stablecoins and tokenized assets. According to the source, this fits a wider trend of crypto-native companies expanding into traditional financial services. For readers, the approval means Animoca can now formally manage pooled funds for professional investors within Abu Dhabi's regulated financial center, alongside its existing Dubai license for virtual asset brokerage and investment management for institutional and qualified investors.

What is confirmed

The following are confirmed by the company's announcement and the source report: the FSRA granted approval to Animoca Asset Management (AD) Limited; the approval covers fund management for non-retail clients; it took effect on Oct. 13; the in-principle approval dates from November 2025; and the Dubai license was secured in February for virtual asset brokerage and investment management serving institutional and qualified investors.

Sources

• Cointelegraph