Animoca graduates from game tokens to Abu Dhabi’s fund management big leagues

Animoca Brands said Monday it received approval to manage investment funds for non-retail clients in Abu Dhabi through its subsidiary Animoca Asset Management (AD) Limited, marking the company’s latest expansion into regulated financial services. The authorization was granted by Abu Dhabi Global Market’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) and took effect on Oct. 13.

The approval allows Animoca Asset Management (AD) Limited to oversee funds pooling money from professional investors rather than the general public. It completes a process that began with in-principle approval in November 2025. In February, the company also secured a Dubai license to provide virtual asset brokerage and investment management services to institutional and qualified investors.

Animoca Brands was spun off from mobile game developer Animoca in 2014, initially developing and publishing games based on licensed brands alongside original titles. The company shifted its focus toward blockchain in 2018 and assembled an investment portfolio that included OpenSea, Dapper Labs and Axie Infinity developer Sky Mavis.

In a September investor update, Animoca Brands described its transition from a digital asset and Web3 operator into a regulated financial services institution operating across multiple jurisdictions. Its strategy now places greater institutional emphasis on digital assets, including stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization and treasury management.