South Korea’s Hashed secures ADGM license to enter Middle East crypto market

South Korea-based crypto venture firm Hashed has secured regulatory approval to operate from Abu Dhabi Global Market, expanding its presence into the Middle East’s regulated financial zone.

According to a company announcement, Hashed’s group entity, Hashed Global Management Limited, has received a Financial Services Permission from ADGM, allowing it to carry out regulated activities such as advising on investments or credit, arranging deals, managing assets, and operating collective investment funds.

Operating under this license, Hashed Global Management Limited can engage institutional investors within ADGM’s regulatory framework, where the Financial Services Regulatory Authority oversees licensing and compliance for financial firms. 

“This permission lays the groundwork for HGML to collaborate with Middle Eastern institutional investors within a regulated environment,” said Seokwon Hong, licensed director and senior executive officer of the entity.

Positioning itself between regional capital and global founders, Hashed plans to use the approval to connect investment flows between the UAE and South Korea while expanding partnerships across markets and ecosystems, the company said.

Interest in Abu Dhabi’s financial hub has increased as global crypto firms pursue regulatory clarity in the region. ADGM, which operates as a special economic zone with its own legal and financial system, has attracted firms looking to scale within a structured environment.

“This milestone underscores the growing momentum we are seeing as leading firms choose ADGM and Abu Dhabi to establish and scale their regional operations,” said Arvind Ramamurthy, chief market development officer at ADGM.

Recent approvals granted to firms such as Binance, Circle, and Tether point to rising participation from major players entering the jurisdiction under regulated frameworks.

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, with oversight from 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, allowing access to tokenized shares of firms including Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla outside the United States.