United Arab Emirates vs Central African Republic
Crypto regulation comparison
United Arab Emirates
Central African Republic
Legal
Legal
The UAE has become a global crypto hub with multiple regulatory frameworks. Dubai's VARA (Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority), established in 2022, is the world's first dedicated crypto regulator and licenses exchanges, brokers, and other VASPs. Abu Dhabi's ADGM regulates crypto through the FSRA. The federal SCA also oversees crypto at the national level. The UAE has no personal income or capital gains tax. Major global exchanges (Binance, Bybit, OKX, Crypto.com) have obtained UAE licenses.
The Central African Republic briefly adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2022 under the 'Sango' project, but this was struck down by the Constitutional Court. Crypto remains legal but the legal tender status was reversed.
Tax Type
None
Tax Type
None
Tax Rate
0%
Tax Rate
N/A
Exchanges
Yes
Exchanges
Yes
Mining
Yes
Mining
Yes
Regulator
VARA (Dubai), ADGM/FSRA (Abu Dhabi), SCA (Federal), CBUAE
Regulator
BEAC (Bank of Central African States)
Stablecoin Rules
VARA regulates stablecoins in Dubai; ADGM has separate framework
Stablecoin Rules
No specific stablecoin regulation
Key Points
- VARA (Dubai) — world's first standalone virtual asset regulator; comprehensive licensing framework
- ADGM/FSRA (Abu Dhabi) — separate regulatory framework for digital assets in the financial free zone
- No personal income tax or capital gains tax in the UAE
- 9% corporate tax (from 2023) may apply to crypto businesses but not individual investors
- Major exchanges licensed: Binance, Bybit, OKX, Crypto.com, BitOasis
Key Points
- Bitcoin was briefly adopted as legal tender in 2022 via the Sango Act
- Constitutional Court struck down the legal tender provision
- Crypto trading and holding remain legal
- BEAC opposed the Bitcoin legal tender move
- Sango crypto hub project launched but has faced significant challenges