--- title: "From Canada to the Gulf: 3iQ’s Regulatory Edge in the Digital Asset Revolution" description: Explore 3iQ’s perspective on the investment universe and what drives institutional adoption of digital assets. image: https://blog.3iq.io/hubfs/Podcast%20Graphic.png --- [![3iQ Header Logo](https://blog.3iq.io/hs-fs/hubfs/3iQ%20Header%20Logo.png?width=114&height=36&name=3iQ%20Header%20Logo.png)](https://www.3iq.io/) [![3iQ Logo](https://blog.3iq.io/hubfs/3iQ%20Logo.svg)](https://www.3iq.io/) - [Our Funds](https://www.3iq.io/our-funds) - Investment Solutions - [Digital asset solutions](https://www.3iq.io/digital-asset-investment-solutions) - [Active investment solutions](https://www.3iq.io/actively-managed-solutions) - [Yield solutions](https://www.3iq.io/yield-solutions) - [Partnership Solutions](https://www.3iq.io/partnership-solutions) - [About 3iQ](https://www.3iq.io/about) - News & Insights - [Press & Media](https://www.3iq.io/press-and-media) - [Insights](https://blog.3iq.io/news-insights) [Get in Touch](https://www.3iq.io/contact) [Back to insights](https://blog.3iq.io/news-insights) ![](https://blog.3iq.io/hs-fs/hubfs/Podcast%20Graphic.png?width=720&name=Podcast%20Graphic.png) Market insights | UAE # From Canada to the Gulf: 3iQ’s Regulatory Edge in the Digital Asset Revolution December 15, 2025 Author: [Rachel Pether](https://blog.3iq.io/news-insights/author/rachel-pether) Social Having been working in the digital assets for over six years, I must say it’s incredibly exciting to be working in this sector in the Middle East. The drivers that we’re seeing in this cycle are both top down and bottom up, and the UAE has the chance to become a regional, if not global, champion. One of the biggest blockers to institutional adoption has historically been a lack of clear regulation. From a top-down perspective, there is extremely clear regulation from the Central Bank of the UAE, FSRA in Abu Dhabi and VARA in Dubai. This is helping to drive adoption. When 3iQ looks at the investment universe, we see it in three key categories: family offices, including multi-family offices and HNWIs; large institutions such as pension funds or sovereign wealth funds (SWFs); and private banks. Starting with family offices, the intergenerational wealth transfer is creating large opportunity. Younger family members are often personally invested in digital assets and are speaking to their family’s Investment Committees to make a more meaningful allocation. Regarding pension funds and SWFs, there are several hurdles to overcome before true institutional adoption takes place. Firstly, many of them face policy limits or strict guidelines when allocating to digital assets. Typically pensions funds and SWFs are bound by board-approved allocation ranges and many cap their “alternative” buckets in the region of 2–5% of total AUM. The second challenge is that SWFs can be quite siloed. Where do digital assets fit? Adding digital assets to existing investment buckets poses challenges, although industry education and new frameworks are emerging, and this creates opportunities for an asset manager like 3iQ that has regulated hedge fund offerings. Private banks are also entering the space, which can be attributed in part to the growth in stablecoin adoption. In December last year, the UAE saw regulatory approval of AE Coin, the first AED-pegged stablecoin, backed by reserves held in the UAE. Alongside this, three key Abu Dhabi entities, namely ADQ, IHC and FAB, recently announced a joint stablecoin project. Now, banks must think about stablecoin custody, minting and payment trails for integration. Offering wealth management products to clients that hold digital assets in custody is a natural next step. When the banks start offering digital asset wealth management products in a meaningful way, it will be in a format their clients understand through regulated, safe and secure structures.  3iQ has always looked to build regulatory moats. We were the first regulated digital asset investment fund manager in Canada, and in 2020 we launched the world’s first major exchange-listed Bitcoin and Ether funds . This achievement came in the face of significant regulatory challenges. Originally the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) did not authorise 3iQ’s Bitcoin ETF application. What followed was months of legal disputes, which eventually ended in 3iQ’s success at overturning the OSC’s original stance. By challenging Canada’s regulators, we have been a trailblazer in providing investors with access to institutional grade digital asset investment products that hold themselves to the highest standard of regulations.   We look forward to continuing this journey in the UAE.  Related Content ![](https://blog.3iq.io/hs-fs/hubfs/Podcast%20Graphic.png?width=450&height=300&name=Podcast%20Graphic.png) The Institutionalization of Digital Assets (Part 4): Active Management and Market Structure Market insights | Digital Assets September 25, 2026 ![](https://blog.3iq.io/hs-fs/hubfs/Podcast%20Graphic.png?width=450&height=300&name=Podcast%20Graphic.png) The Institutionalization of Digital Assets (Part 3): Digital Assets Within Traditional Institutional Portfolios Market insights | Digital Assets September 18, 2026 ![](https://blog.3iq.io/hs-fs/hubfs/Podcast%20Graphic.png?width=450&height=300&name=Podcast%20Graphic.png) The Institutionalization of Digital Assets (Part 2): Why Infrastructure Matters Market insights | Digital Assets September 11, 2026 ## Disclosure This content is for informational purposes only. Please see disclosures at [https://www.3iq.io/content-disclosures](https://www.3iq.io/content-disclosures) [![3iQ White Logo](https://blog.3iq.io/hubfs/3iQ%20White%20Logo.svg)](https://www.3iq.io/) ###### Social - - - ###### Contact 161 Bay Street, Suite 2700 Toronto, Ontario Canada M5J 2S1 +1 (416) 639-2130 [info@3iq.ca](mailto:info@3iq.ca) ###### Explore - [Digital Asset Solutions](https://www.3iq.io/digital-asset-investment-solutions) - [Actively Managed Solutions](https://www.3iq.io/actively-managed-solutions) - [Yield Solutions](https://www.3iq.io/yield-solutions) - [Our Funds](https://www.3iq.io/our-funds) - [Partnership Services](https://www.3iq.io/partnership-solutions) ###### Company - [About 3iQ](https://www.3iq.io/about) - [Press & Media](https://www.3iq.io/press-and-media) - [Careers](https://www.3iq.io/careers) - [Contact](https://www.3iq.io/contact) © 2026 3iQ Corp. All rights reserved. Investing in digital assets involves risks. Please read all offering documents carefully before investing. - [Preferences](https://www.3iq.io/?_gl=1*1e71f0r*_gcl_au*MTYyODEzMTMzNy4xNzQxNjkwMzc1) - [Disclaimer](https://www.3iq.io/disclaimer?regions=Canada) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.3iq.io/3iq-privacy-policy) - [Cookies Policy](https://www.3iq.io/3iq-cookies-policy) - [Legal, Financial & Regulatory](https://www.3iq.io/legal-financial-regulatory) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rachel Pether", "url" : "https://blog.3iq.io/news-insights/author/rachel-pether" }, "dateModified" : "2026-07-08T21:07:17.542Z", "datePublished" : "2025-12-15T14:59:32.000Z", "headline" : "From Canada to the Gulf: 3iQ’s Regulatory Edge in the Digital Asset Revolution", "image" : [ "https://blog.3iq.io/hubfs/Podcast%20Graphic.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.3iq.io/news-insights/from-canada-to-the-gulf-3iqs-regulatory-edge-in-the-digital-asset-revolution", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.3iq.io/hubfs/3iQ%20Logo.svg" } } } ```