Animoca Brands wins Abu Dhabi FSRA approval to manage funds for non-retail clients
In brief
- Animoca Asset Management (AD) Limited received fund management authorization from ADGM's FSRA.
- The license covers funds pooling money from professional investors, not the general public.
- Oct. 13 effective date completes an approval process begun in November 2025.
- Animoca secured a Dubai virtual asset license in February for institutional and qualified investors.
- Stablecoins, tokenization and treasury management were listed as focus areas in a September investor update.
What the FSRA approval covers
The authorization lets Animoca Asset Management (AD) Limited oversee funds that pool money from professional investors rather than the general public, Cointelegraph reported. Put simply, it's a license to run funds for non-retail clients.
Retail investors aren't part of this one.
The Oct. 13 approval wasn't a sudden move, either. According to Cointelegraph, it completed a process that began with in-principle approval in November 2025.
It isn't Animoca's only recent license. The company secured a Dubai license in February to provide virtual asset brokerage and investment management services to institutional and qualified investors, the report said.
From licensed-brand games to blockchain
Animoca Brands was spun off from mobile game developer Animoca in 2014. It started out developing and publishing games based on licensed brands, alongside original titles.
Then 2018 happened. That's the year the company shifted its focus toward blockchain, and it went on to build an investment portfolio that included OpenSea, Dapper Labs and Axie Infinity developer Sky Mavis.
The stablecoin and tokenization pitch
Animoca laid out where it's headed in a September investor update. There, the company described a transition from a digital asset and Web3 operator into a regulated financial services institution operating across multiple jurisdictions, according to Cointelegraph's account of the update.
Under that strategy, Animoca said its focus included stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization and treasury management.
Cointelegraph framed the Abu Dhabi approval as part of a broader push by crypto-native companies into traditional financial services. For Animoca, the regulated footprint now includes the February Dubai license plus the FSRA fund management authorization (both aimed at professional, institutional or qualified investors rather than the general public).
Frequently asked questions
What did Abu Dhabi regulators approve for Animoca Brands?
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market granted subsidiary Animoca Asset Management (AD) Limited authorization to manage investment funds for non-retail clients. The approval took effect on Oct. 13, according to Cointelegraph.
Can retail investors access Animoca's Abu Dhabi funds?
No. The authorization lets the subsidiary oversee funds that pool money from professional investors rather than the general public, Cointelegraph reported.
What is Animoca Brands focusing on under its new strategy?
In a September investor update, Animoca described a transition from a digital asset and Web3 operator into a regulated financial services institution across multiple jurisdictions. The company said its focus included stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization and treasury management.
