FSRA General Application Process

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Being a Firm at ADGM Being a Firm at ADGM

The Financial Services Regulatory Authority welcomes financial services firms and institutions who wish to establish their presence in Abu Dhabi’s financial free zone. Firms and individuals can now apply for the appropriate financial services licences, under an internationally recognisable legislative and regulatory framework, that facilitates their local, regional and international expansion. The new financial regulations and rules framework is comprehensive in scope, spanning a variety of regulated financial services, including, asset management, banking and insurance businesses and others.

To know more the ADGM financial services and activities that are available, please go through these simple functions below. To help you start the application process, please feel free to contact the Authorisation team at authorisation@adgm.com to arrange for a meeting, where we will guide you through the application process.

Contact

Contact the FSRA Authorisation team for an initial discussion about your proposal

Enquiry

The Authorisation team will arrange an initial meeting with you to assess your requirements and proposed business model, and to explain what Regulated Activities can be conducted in ADGM, as well as the application process. Subject to the outcome of this initial meeting, we will invite you to submit a draft regulatory business plan.

Proposal

The Authorisation team will review your draft regulatory business plan and advise you if your application would be accepted. If so, Authorisation will provide feedback for inclusion in your final submission.

Submission

Your application will be accepted once you have submitted your completed application forms, together with supporting documentation, and have paid the application fee.
For more information, click here for calculation of fees.

Review

The Authorisation team will review your application, follow up with you on any outstanding matters or questions, and conduct interviews with the Approved Persons (if required).

Notification

If your application is successful, you will receive in-principle approval (IPA) containing a number of pre-conditions.

Fulfillment

You must fulfil the IPA pre-conditions, which will include obtaining a Commercial License from the ADGM Registration Authority, securing premises in ADGM, opening bank accounts and, if relevant, capitalizing your entity.

Permission

Once you have all IPA pre-conditions, the FSRA will grant you a Financial Services Permission to commence Regulated Activities.

If you have questions or need any assistance, we're here to help