Dubai’s Crypto Regulator Buys Land in the Metaverse for Headquarters

MetaHQ plans to be the first government regulator headquarters in the metaverse

article-image

Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum | Source: Shutterstock

share

key takeaways

  • VARA did not provide details about when MetaHQ will be accessible to users or information about the cost of the digital land
  • The US is also expanding its crypto regulatory presence by adding 20 positions to its SEC watchog unit

Dubai’s cryptocurrency regulator has become the first such national watchdog to acquire land in the metaverse with plans to establish a virtual headquarters.

Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) will create its “MetaHQ” using The Sandbox metaverse platform, according to a Tuesday statement from VARA to the WAM news agency. 

MetaHQ plans to provide digital users access to regulatory resources within the virtual environment, something that will become increasingly important as digital presence increases, the statement said. 

“By expanding VARA’s resources to a borderless audience through the Metaverse, Dubai is creating a prototype Decentralised Regulator Model, inviting international thought leaders – global authorities, governance custodians, and industry shapers – to participate, exchange knowledge, and problem-solve collectively so that we enable the dynamic virtual assets sector to build economic resilience, accelerate social inclusion, and address environmental sustainability,” Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said in the statement. 

The development comes as the United States likewise moves to increase regulatory oversight of digital assets — albeit in the physical world.

The SEC announced Tuesday that it will be adding 20 members to the unit responsible for protecting investors in crypto markets and from cyber-related threats. 

The newly renamed Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, formerly known as the Cyber Unit, will now have 50 team members, including the new hires, the SEC said. 

“The U.S. has the greatest capital markets because investors have faith in them, and as more investors access the crypto markets, it is increasingly important to dedicate more resources to protecting them,” SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a statement. 

The new SEC positions will focus on regulating cryptocurrency exchanges, lending and staking, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and more.

VARA did not provide details about when MetaHQ will be accessible to users or information about the cost of the digital land.


Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter.

Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter.

Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more.

The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates.jpg

Research

The L2 ecosystem has evolved into a complex landscape, with over $17B in market value and $50B in secured assets. While traditionally seen as high-beta plays on Ethereum, no L2 token achieved a beta higher than 1.0 relative to ETH in 2024. Furthermore, token dilution significantly impacted the sector, with a 1% increase in circulating supply corresponding to a 1.4% decrease in returns.

Key figures including Vitalik Buterin struggle to communicate the network’s core mission in an era of memecoin-minimized attention spans

article-image

World Liberty Financial has been busy buying crypto ahead of its launch

article-image

Trump’s token is setting the “tone” for crypto, Empire co-host Santiago Santos said

article-image

A pair of fundraises by Tapestry and Oh both came with expansive ideas about the future of AI and the role of humans in it

article-image

The Calamos Bitcoin Structured Alt Protection ETF — January is set to offer “systematic risk management” across its roughly one-year outcome period

article-image

Crypto industry elites (and a journalist or two) donned black tie at the Crypto Ball Friday night