Pin and benchmark
Pin one jurisdiction. Line up to five rivals against it. Deltas show where each peer is better or worse.
Sign in to watch these jurisdictions for changes.
ADGM (Abu Dhabi) vs Austria is just our starting example. Pin your own jurisdiction and peers below.
| Dimension |
Pinned 🇦🇪 ADGM (Abu Dhabi) partly open Verified 2026-07-10
|
🇦🇹 Austria
partly open
Verified 2026-07-10
|
|---|---|---|
| Licence type | Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the FSRA to carry on one or more 'Regulated Activities' in relation to Virtual Assets under the ADGM Financial Services and Markets Regulations (FSMR), e.g. Operating a Multilateral Trading Facility (exchange), Providing Custody, Dealing in Investments as Principal/Agent (broker-dealer), Managing Assets, or Advising on Investments, each 'in relation to Virtual Assets.' The framework was originally branded 'Operating a Crypto Asset Business' (2018 Guidance) and has since been folded into the broader Virtual Asset regulated-activities regime under the 'Guidance – Regulation of Virtual Asset Activities in ADGM' (most recent version 10 June 2025). A related but separate activity/licence covers issuing Fiat-Referenced Tokens (FRTs, i.e. stablecoins). | MiCA CASP Authorisation granted by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) |
| Regulator | Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) | Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA) Österreich |
| Capital requirement | ADGM (Abu Dhabi) capital requirement is included in the £349 pass. | Austria capital requirement is included in the £349 pass. |
| Timeline to authorisation | ADGM (Abu Dhabi) timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. | Austria timeline to authorisation is included in the £349 pass. |
| Local substance | ADGM (Abu Dhabi) local substance is included in the £349 pass. | Austria local substance is included in the £349 pass. |
| Application cost | ADGM (Abu Dhabi) application cost is included in the £349 pass. | Austria application cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Ongoing cost | ADGM (Abu Dhabi) ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. | Austria ongoing cost is included in the £349 pass. |
| Passporting | ADGM (Abu Dhabi) passporting is included in the £349 pass. | Austria passporting is included in the £349 pass. |
| MiCA CASPs approved | ADGM (Abu Dhabi) mica casps approved is included in the £349 pass. | Austria mica casps approved is included in the £349 pass. |
| Key restrictions | ADGM (Abu Dhabi) key restrictions is included in the £349 pass. | Austria key restrictions is included in the £349 pass. |
| Recent changes | June 10, 2025: FSRA implemented major amendments, shifted from FSRA pre-approval for Virtual Assets to a notification-based process built on applicant self-assessment; introduced express prohibition on privacy tokens and algorithmic stablecoins; revised capital requirements and fees for VA firms; added product-intervention power for virtual assets. September 2025 (Abu Dhabi Finance Week): FSRA published Consultation Paper No. 10 of 2025 proposing a staking framework. Finalised Fiat-Referenced Token (FRT) framework followed, with FEES Rulebook amendments effective 1 January 2026 (published 31 October 2025). April 29, 2026: FSRA finalised the Virtual Asset staking regulatory framework after consultation. December 2025/January 2026: Binance received FSRA approval (announced 7 December 2025) to operate its global Binance.com platform in ADGM via three regulated entities, described as the first global platform-level licence of this kind under the ADGM framework, operations beginning 5 January 2026. On 7 Jul 2026 the FSRA granted a Financial Services Permission to BTCS (Middle East), the Abu Dhabi subsidiary of Bitcoin Suisse, covering spot trading in accepted virtual assets, institutional custody and derivatives for institutional and professional clients. | Austria set 30 June 2026 as the end of its transitional regime (shorter runway than the EU default 1 July 2026 deadline), creating pressure for existing FM-GwG registered VASPs to secure full CASP authorisation; Bybit reported as licensed in Austria per exchange-tracking source |
| Difficulty rating | ADGM (Abu Dhabi) difficulty rating is included in the £349 pass. | Austria difficulty rating is included in the £349 pass. |
Informational only, not legal advice. A delta compares the sortable figure only (capital, timeline, cost, difficulty, passporting, approvals); it is not a judgement on overall suitability. Verify with qualified counsel before acting.