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UAE Introduces Region’s First License For “Finfluencers”
The UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority is setting rules for financial content creators and waiving fees for three years.
The UAE has introduced a groundbreaking licensing requirement for social media influencers and digital content creators who offer financial advice or investment recommendations online. The Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) unveiled the new “finfluencer” license — the first regulatory measure of its kind in the region — in a move to increase transparency and accountability in digital financial communications.
Under the new guidelines, individuals creating content around investments, trading, or financial recommendations via social media platforms, blogs, YouTube channels, podcasts, webinars, or in-person events are now required to obtain this license. The initiative targets influencers who discuss regulated financial products or services available in the UAE, such as stocks, virtual assets, trading platforms, and related investment advice.
To encourage content creators to comply and ease the regulatory process, the SCA has waived registration, renewal, and legal consultation fees for this license over the next three years. The move is expected to reduce administrative hurdles and foster innovation within a robust legal framework, allowing digital financial content to flourish responsibly.
“This is more than just regulation — it’s a strategic step to reshape how regulators operate in the digital economy,” said Waleed Saeed Al Awadhi, CEO of the SCA. He highlighted that the initiative aims to enhance market integrity, foster transparency, and create a trusted environment for investors. “By adopting forward-thinking regulatory models, the SCA is positioning itself as an enabler of transformative change in finance”.
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Licensed influencers must adhere to strict regulatory standards designed to ensure the accuracy, fairness, and responsibility of their content. Advice that now requires licensing includes recommendations on buying or selling financial products, forecasting asset values, creating financial reports, and offering analysis on regulated investments.
This licensing framework is part of the SCA’s broader efforts to support the UAE’s rapid growth as a global financial hub. By modernizing regulation to align with evolving consumer habits and digital platforms, the SCA aims to protect investors and promote financial literacy, while facilitating innovation in a fast-changing market.
News
AltoVolo Opens Orders For Limited Edition Sigma eVTOLs
Early buyers can now reserve build slots for AltoVolo’s 500-mile hybrid aircraft through a new online configurator.
AltoVolo has started taking pre-orders for its first electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the Sigma, moving the startup closer to commercial rollout. Customers can now secure a build slot with a £860 deposit and customize every detail online — from paintwork to seatbelt stitching. It’s the first configurator of its kind for a civilian eVTOL, mirroring how luxury car brands let clients tailor performance models before production.
The Sigma runs on a hybrid-electric tilting jet system built for long range and low noise. It can travel up to 500 miles at a 220-mph cruise, and is over 80% quieter than a helicopter. The three-seater weighs just 980kg and can maintain stable flight even if one jet fails. Safety systems include triple-redundant controls, thrust-vectoring stability and a ballistic parachute.
“We will be delivering an ultra-refined hybrid electric aircraft,” said founder and CEO Will Wood. “We believe there are thousands of customers for this type of cutting-edge technology”.
The first 100 units will come with exclusive materials and finishes. AltoVolo is also setting up a global service and maintenance network, with early planning for overhaul schedules already underway. The company’s focus on ownership experience echoes its ambition to anchor itself alongside established aviation brands rather than pure tech ventures.
To help new owners train, the company has built a full-scale simulator that replicates the Sigma cockpit in carbon fiber and leather. Pilots can log time toward a license using the system, aligned with the new US MOSAIC rules that ease certification for powered-lift aircraft. Certification work in Europe and the UK continues in parallel, signaling growing international alignment around light sport and eVTOL regulation.
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Noise inside the cabin has become another design focus. Engineers are refining internal vibration levels and developing a responsive soundscape that shifts with each jet’s power load — part feedback, part theatre.
Urban air mobility projects across the Gulf and elsewhere are pushing regulators and manufacturers to meet in the middle. Dubai, Riyadh and Doha have each outlined plans for air taxi corridors this decade. AltoVolo’s hybrid Sigma, sitting between electric promise and aviation realism, looks built for that middle ground.
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