Circular 1/2017 on UAE terrorist list (companies)

CMA Circular No. 1/2017 of 2017 · UAE Federal

Official title
Circular No. (1) of 2017 Concerning the List of Terrorist Individuals and Organizations Approved by the United Arab Emirates and its updates (addressed to companies engaged in the securities and commodities business).
Arabic title
تعميم رقم (1) لسنة 2017 بشأن قائمة الأفراد والتنظيمات الإرهابية المعتمدة في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة وتحديثاتها والمعمم على الشركات العاملة في مجال الأوراق المالية والسلع
Instrument
CMA Circular No. 1/2017 of 2017
Issued by
Capital Market Authority
Jurisdiction
UAE Federal
Dates
issued 3 August 2017
Status
in force
Topics
AML / CFT · Sanctions
Official source
legislation.uaecma.gov.ae · official text (PDF)
Full text
English official text — 6 passages, 2,578 words, from the official text
Verified
31 October 2026
Print

SCA circular to companies engaged in the securities and commodities business concerning the list of terrorist individuals and organisations approved by the United Arab Emirates and its updates.

Summary

Circular No. 1 of 2017 (companies), dated 3 August 2017, is the version of the Securities and Commodities Authority's circular on Cabinet Resolution No. 18 of 2017 meant for companies engaged in the securities and commodities business. The file the CMA publishes under this entry is identical to the file it publishes for the exchanges' version: it is addressed to the licensed securities and commodities exchanges. A separate companies text is not available on the CMA site, so this summary describes the published text.

The circular applies the additions to the UAE list of terrorist individuals and organisations made by Cabinet Resolution No. 18 of 2017, with the list attached. The addressees must: search for and freeze any cash, securities or commodities accounts of listed individuals, groups and organisations, or of associated natural or legal persons; freeze funds received from, or on behalf of, listed persons or their associates; refrain from freezing or blocking an account unless names and details match the list entirely and without doubt, contacting the Authority or the Central Bank's Anti-Money Laundering and Suspicious Cases Unit in case of doubt; and report actions taken instantly to the Authority and that Unit on the attached form. Enquiries go to amltfc@sca.ae.

Status: listed as in force. Freezing against the UAE Local Terrorist List is now governed by Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2020, which applies to licensed companies and exchanges alike.

Who it applies to

Companies licensed by the Securities and Commodities Authority (now the CMA) for securities and commodities business, for accounts and funds linked to persons added to the UAE terrorist list by Cabinet Resolution No. 18 of 2017.

Contents

English official text in 6 passages. Open the full text or jump to a provision:

  1. Passage 1
  2. Passage 2
  3. Passage 3
  4. Passage 4
  5. Passage 5
  6. Passage 6

Key provisions

Paragraph FirstSearch for and freeze any cash, securities or commodities accounts of persons on the UAE list, or of associated natural or legal persons.
Paragraph SecondFreeze funds received from, or on behalf of, listed persons or their associates.
Paragraph ThirdFreeze only on an entire and undoubted match; in case of doubt contact the Authority or the Central Bank's AML unit.
Paragraph FourthInstantly report actions taken to freeze accounts to the Authority and the Central Bank's AML unit on the attached form.
Annex (list and form)List of individuals and entities under Cabinet Resolution No. 18 of 2017 and a form reporting search results for identical and similar names.

Obligations and deadlines

  • Search client accounts against the persons added by Cabinet Resolution No. 18 of 2017.
  • Freeze matched accounts and incoming funds for listed persons.
  • Report search results and freezes instantly on the attached form.

Penalties

The circular sets no amounts; it states that non-compliance exposes the addressee to severe penalties and sanctions in the UAE and abroad.

In practice — how Polaris handles it

We are not licensed by the CMA. For brokerage and investment clients, we use this circular to date historic list additions when reviewing past screening records or a historic freeze. Their current screening, which we build into the compliance manuals we maintain, runs against the UAE Local Terrorist List under Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2020.

History and citations

No amendments, repeals or cross-references recorded for this instrument.

“Cites” and “Cited by” are built automatically from references in the full texts held in this library; they cover only instruments in the library.

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Related Polaris services

Source and verification. This record was written from the official text published at legislation.uaecma.gov.ae, read on 31 October 2026. Quoted from that text: “Search and freeze any accounts (cash, securities, or commodities) of individuals, groups, and organizations placed on the list”
Published for general information by Polaris Corporate Services FZ-LLC, a licensed Trust and Corporate Service Provider. It is not legal advice and does not replace the official text, which prevails in case of difference. Arabic is the authoritative language of UAE federal and emirate legislation; English translations are provided by the issuing authorities. Instruments change: check the status and the official source before relying on this page.

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