South Korean crypto venture firm Hashed has received regulatory approval to operate from Abu Dhabi Global Market, giving the company a formal entry point into the Middle East’s regulated financial sector. In a company announcement, its group entity, Hashed Global Management Limited, said it had obtained a Financial Services Permission from ADGM.
License covers advisory, asset management, and fund activity
The approval allows Hashed Global Management Limited to carry out regulated activities including advising on investments or credit, arranging deals, managing assets, and operating collective investment funds. Under that framework, the firm can work with institutional investors inside ADGM, where the Financial Services Regulatory Authority is responsible for licensing and compliance.
Seokwon Hong, licensed director and senior executive officer of the entity, said the permission creates the basis for HGML to collaborate with Middle Eastern institutional investors in a regulated setting. Hashed said it plans to use the license to connect capital flows between the UAE and South Korea while expanding partnerships across markets and ecosystems. The firm described its role as sitting between regional capital and global founders.
ADGM draws more crypto firms seeking regulatory clarity
Interest in Abu Dhabi’s financial hub has been rising as crypto firms look for clearer rules in the region. ADGM operates as a special economic zone with its own legal and financial system, and that structure has attracted companies aiming to build regional operations inside a defined regulatory environment.
Arvind Ramamurthy, chief market development officer at ADGM, said the latest approval reflects growing momentum as more leading firms choose ADGM and Abu Dhabi as a base for regional expansion. Recent approvals for firms including Binance, Circle, and Tether point to a broader increase in participation from major crypto players entering the jurisdiction under regulated frameworks.
Recent approvals also include tokenized securities activity
Earlier in March, Ondo Finance secured approval within ADGM to offer tokenized U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds through a regulated trading venue operated by Binance and overseen by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority. The company said its digital securities, structured as equity-linked notes, were admitted for trading on a Multilateral Trading Facility, giving investors outside the United States access to tokenized shares of Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla.