Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has mandated quarterly anti-money laundering (AML) reviews for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) following identified deficiencies in their AML/CFT risk assessments. The regulator highlighted that many firms have not adequately addressed emerging threats such as artificial intelligence, proliferation financing, and targeted financial sanctions. VARA plans to conduct a thematic review in the second quarter of 2026, with enforcement actions to follow based on the findings.