NeosLegal Named Best UAE Crypto Law Firm 2026 by the UAE Business Awards

The UAE’s first crypto-native law firm, recognised for a decade structuring VASP licences, token launches and Web3 ventures across all five UAE regulators

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, May 23, 2026 /⁨EINPresswire.com⁩/ – NeosLegal, the UAE’s first crypto-native law firm, has been named the Best UAE Crypto Law Firm 2026 by the UAE Business Awards Middle East. The recognition reflects the firm’s track record since 2016 advising Web3 founders, governments and institutions on virtual asset regulation across VARA, ADGM/FSRA, DIFC/DFSA, the CMA and the UAECB.

Founded in 2016, before the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) existed and before the UAE’s federal virtual asset frameworks were finalised, NeosLegal has structured more than 300 Web3 and crypto projects, advised on over 20 VASP licence applications, and issued 250+ token legal opinions with a 100% acceptance rate at Tier-1 exchanges. Across ten years and five regulators, the firm reports zero client enforcement actions.

“This recognition is really about the founders we have worked with over the last decade,” said Irina Heaver, UAE Crypto Lawyer and Founder of NeosLegal. “When we started in 2016, there was no VARA, no federal framework, and very little certainty. We helped build the rules that now govern this industry, and we have spent ten years helping founders navigate them without a single client enforcement action. This record matters more to us than any award.”

The award arrives as UAE crypto regulation enters a more active enforcement phase. In 2025, VARA fined 19 firms for unlicensed activity and marketing violations, and the UAE introduced federal virtual asset regulations alongside a new Central Bank law bringing decentralised finance into regulatory scope for the first time.

“Founders are realising that the early design and structuring stage is where regulatory risk is created, and where it is cheapest to fix,” Heaver added.

NeosLegal advises across the full digital asset economy, including crypto exchanges and brokers, RWA tokenisation platforms, token issuers and protocol founders, crypto venture funds, and high-net-worth founders relocating to the UAE. The firm works on fixed fees with defined scopes, and advises international clients remotely from any jurisdiction. A detailed overview of how the firm approaches VARA licensing, token launches and Web3 legal counsel is available in its guide to choosing the best UAE crypto law firm.

Irina Heaver is recommended by Lexology as the UAE’s leading blockchain lawyer, listed alongside firms including Clifford Chance and Latham & Watkins, and is author of the UAE chapter of the Chambers & Partners Virtual Assets Practice Guide 2026. She is a Forbes Digital Assets contributor, and under her leadership NeosLegal was also named Middle East Technology Legal Team of the Year 2025 at The Oath Middle East Legal Awards. A former co-founder of a UAE crypto exchange, she is among the few lawyers globally to have built and operated the type of business she now advises.

The UAE Business Awards Middle East recognises outstanding firms across the region’s professional services sectors, judged by an independent panel.

To learn more about NeosLegal’s virtual asset legal services, visit https://neoslegal.co.

About NeosLegal

NeosLegal is the UAE’s first crypto-native law firm, established in 2016. The firm provides end-to-end legal counsel on VARA and VASP licensing, RWA tokenisation, token launches, DeFi structuring, fund formation and crypto tax across all five UAE regulatory regimes. NeosLegal has structured 300+ Web3 and virtual asset projects, advised on $500B+ in cumulative deal value, and maintains a clean client enforcement record across a decade of practice. Learn more at https://neoslegal.co.

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