Fintech & financial services · regulated
3 UAE free zones publish licence types that fit fintech & financial services (our assessment); none publishes a package price without stated conditions.
Payments, asset management, banking and insurance. Regulated by a financial regulator. 3 of the zones need a regulator's approval for it. Examples: Asset manager, Payment service, Insurance broker. Confirm your exact activity on each zone's official activity list.
3 zones · lowest package first
Compare these 3 side by side →2 of 3 publish a price for this view; the rest say “Not published” and will quote on request.
| Free zone | Lowest package | Licence fee from | Max visa quota | Min. office | Incorporation | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIFC DubaiMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24· Financial centre | Not published | AED 3,673 | 4 | Virtual office | 21 days | |
| ADGM Abu DhabiMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24· Financial centre | AED 5,509 | AED 10,283 | Not published | Not published | Not published | |
| DMCC DubaiMost facts confirmed on official sources. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 31,000 | AED 20,285 | 3 | Flexi-desk | 10 days |
Dubai International Financial Centre
Not published
Lowest package, year 1
Financial centre · 4-visa package
Abu Dhabi Global Market
AED 5,509
Lowest package, year 1
Financial centre
Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC)
AED 31,000
Lowest package, year 1
General trading · 3-visa package
Verified on 2026-10-24 from assets.difc.com, dmcc.ae, assets.adgm.com.
Prices are year-1 figures as published by each zone: the lowest package of any size, or the package closest to the set-up you pick under “Price shown for”. “Not published” means no official source states it. How we verify
What we can compare: official activity list published by 29 of 43 zones; package price: solo, no visa published by 17 of 43 zones; package price: founder + 1 visa published by 13 of 43 zones; package price: team, 3 visas published by 6 of 43 zones; any package price published by 17 of 43 zones; licence fee published by 30 of 43 zones. Full coverage table
None of the zones that fit fintech & financial services in our assessment publishes a package price without stated conditions; ask them for a quote.
In our assessment of the licence types DIFC, ADGM, DMCC publish, this activity needs approval from a regulator in addition to the free zone licence. Confirm the approvals for your exact activity with the zone.
Zones set how many activities a licence includes and whether trading and services can be combined; each zone page shows what the zone publishes on this. Ask the zone for its exact activity codes.