Amendment 2/Chairman of 2023 to Regulations Manual of the Financial Activities (Rulebook)

CMA Decision No. 2/Chairman of 2023 · UAE Federal

Official title
Chairman of the Authority’s Board of Directors’ Resolution No. (02/Chairman) of 2023 Concerning the Amendment of the Regulations Manual of the Financial Activities Approved by the Chairman of the Authority’s Board of Directors’ Resolution No. (13/Chairman) of 2021
Arabic title
قرار رئيس مجلس إدارة الهيئة رقم (02/ر.م) لسنة 2023 بشأن تعديل كتيب القواعد الخاص بالأنشطة المالية المعتمد بموجب قرار رئيس مجلس الإدارة رقم (13/ر.م) لسنة 2021
Instrument
CMA Decision No. 2/Chairman of 2023
Issued by
Chairman of the CMA Board
Jurisdiction
UAE Federal
Dates
issued 16 January 2023 · in force 1 February 2023
Status
in force
Topics
Licensing · Capital markets · AML / CFT
Official source
legislation.uaecma.gov.ae
Verified
31 October 2026
Print

Amending instrument that changes the Regulations Manual of the Financial Activities (Rulebook) (CMA Decision No. 13/Chairman of 2021). The CMA has consolidated its changes into the current text of the amended regulation and keeps this instrument in its archive of amending regulations.

Summary

Chairman's Resolution No. (02/Chairman) of 2023 is an amending instrument that changed the Regulations Manual of the Financial Activities (the Rulebook) issued under Resolution No. (13/Chairman) of 2021. The amendment notes in the CMA's consolidated Rulebook record it as issued on 16 January 2023 and in force on 1 February 2023. The CMA (formerly the Securities and Commodities Authority) lists it in its archive of amending regulations but does not publish its text, so its effect can be traced only through those notes.

The notes attribute these changes to it: a new financial activity, Family Business Investment Management (the family office), added to the list of financial activities and to the Second Category (Dealing in Investment) of Annex 1, with a new legal-form paragraph that, as the Annex now reads, requires the company to be wholly owned by family members and its owners' wealth to be not less than AED 25 million; the definitions of severe and medium violations deleted and Article 17 (sanctions) amended; changes to initial approval, licence applications and Article 11 of the General Obligations chapter, which now lets the Authority appoint an independent expert at the licensed body's expense in cases such as manipulation or fraud; changes to the approval of natural persons and the tasks of approved jobs, with the Senior Financial Analyst job cancelled in the Second Category; and changes to the Business Practice rules on promoting financial products, fund administration services and the custodian of private joint stock company registers.

The consolidated Rulebook, not this instrument, is the text to apply; this record matters when establishing which rule applied before 1 February 2023.

Who it applies to

Firms licensed by the CMA under the Rulebook or applying for a licence, in particular family offices managing a family's own wealth, fund administrators, promoters of financial products, registrars of private joint stock companies and individuals in approved jobs.

Key provisions

In practice — how Polaris handles it

Most of our clients meet this amendment through the family-office question: a family that wants a UAE vehicle to manage its own wealth. We explain whether the planned activity needs a CMA licence for Family Business Investment Management, form and administer the company around the chosen route, and coordinate with licensed advisers and the CMA portal where a licence is needed. We are not licensed by the CMA; our part is the corporate records, UBO filings, AML and tax compliance.

History and citations

AmendsCMA Decision No. 13/Chairman of 2021

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

Related instruments

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: “Resolution No. (02/Chairman) of 2023 Concerning the Amendment of the Regulations Manual of the Financial Activities”
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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