By Marie Huillet 4055 Total views 283 Total shares Listen to article 1:41 NEWS The United Arab Emirates ( UAE )’s national securities regulator plans to introduce Initial Coin Offerings ( ICO ) for capital markets in 2019, Reuters reported Oct. 8. Reuters notes that the regulator has embraced the innovative fundraising model to diversify the means through which companies can raise capital, noting that in recent years, “weak” equity markets, coupled with low oil prices, have been adversely impacting Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in the country and wider region. Reuters quotes the CEO of the country’s national securities watchdog, Obaid Saif al-Zaabi, as saying that: “The board of the Emirates Securities & Commodities Authority [ESCA] has approved considering ICOs as securities. As per our plan we should have regulations on the ground in the first half of 2019.” Al-Zaabi added that the ESCA is currently drafting regulations for ICOs with int
