Buy Bitcoin in the UAE with AED: fees, minimums and how it works
You can buy Bitcoin in the UAE with AED through MKX, a Dubai broker-dealer licensed by VARA (VL/25/04/001): deposit dirhams by bank transfer from AED 380 at 0%, pay 1.5% per trade, and withdraw from 0.003 BTC for a 0.0001 BTC fee.
Risk warning Virtual Assets may lose their value in full or in part, and are subject to extreme volatility. The owner and/or investor in the Virtual Asset can lose all the money or other value they invest, and does not benefit from any form of financial protection.
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Bitcoin fee receipt
Last reviewed
- AED bank deposit minimum AED 380
- 0%
- Bitcoin withdrawal to an external wallet minimum 0.003 BTC
- 0.0001 BTC
- AED to Bitcoin trade charged on each transaction
- 1.5%
Source: MKX Fee Schedule. The Bitcoin price itself is quoted on the trade execution screen before you confirm.
How buying Bitcoin with AED works at MKX
MKX is a broker-dealer: you trade against a price MKX quotes, not against other users' orders. Three steps come before a first Bitcoin order.
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1 Open and verify your account
Register on the MKX web app or in the app for iPhone or Android. You upload an Emirates ID or a passport and pass a liveness check on camera. Verification is usually completed within minutes. Individuals must be at least 18 years old.
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2 Fund it in AED by bank transfer
Send dirhams from a UAE bank account. The minimum deposit is AED 380 and MKX charges 0% on it. The money goes to a Client Money Account: a designated safekeeping account with a regulated financial institution licensed in the UAE. It is not a deposit or investment account and earns no interest. Arrival times are not published.
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3 Convert AED to Bitcoin at the quoted price
Choose Bitcoin and enter an amount in dirhams. The first price on screen is indicative, not a quotation, because crypto prices move with the market. The final price and the 1.5% fee are displayed on the trade execution screen before you confirm. The Bitcoin then appears in your MKX wallet.
Identity checks and bank funding are the same for every listed asset: see the bank transfer and KYC steps explained in the USDT guide.
Bitcoin fees and minimums
A Bitcoin order at MKX carries one percentage fee. The other figures are minimums, plus a flat charge for sending Bitcoin to an outside wallet.
| Item | Minimum | MKX fee |
|---|---|---|
| AED bank deposit | AED 380 | 0% |
| Bitcoin deposit, BTC network | 0.000007 BTC | 0 |
| Bitcoin withdrawal, internal | 0.003 BTC | 0 |
| Bitcoin withdrawal, external | 0.003 BTC | 0.0001 BTC |
| AED to Bitcoin trade, per transaction | not published | 1.5% |
The Fee Schedule does not define "internal"; the usual meaning is a transfer between two accounts at the same firm. MKX may change the Fee Schedule, and under the terms no objection within thirty days counts as acceptance.
The same 1.5% applies when you sell Bitcoin for AED or convert it to another asset. The Bitcoin deposit and withdrawal fees sit next to those of every other listed asset on the fees page.
Worked example: AED 2,000
Take an order that turns AED 2,000 into Bitcoin. The trading fee is 1.5% of the transaction: AED 2,000 × 0.015 = AED 30. The bank deposit that funded it cost 0%. The trade execution screen shows whether the AED 30 comes out of the AED 2,000 or is added to it.
No Bitcoin price is printed here: any figure would be out of date when you read it. The quantity you receive is set by the price you confirm.
Order of AED 2,000
Illustrative example
- AED bank deposit fee 0%
- AED 2,000.00
- Order amount
- AED 2,000.00
- Bitcoin received set by the price you confirm
- as quoted
- Trading fee 1.5% of AED 2,000
- AED 30.00
How much Bitcoin you can buy
An order does not have to be a whole coin. One bitcoin divides into 100,000,000 units called satoshis, so you set the size of an order in dirhams and receive the matching fraction of a coin.
The only minimum MKX publishes for a purchase is the AED 380 bank deposit. The Fee Schedule shows no minimum or maximum order size.
Two published figures matter if you plan to move coins. A withdrawal must be at least 0.003 BTC (300,000 satoshis), so a smaller balance cannot be withdrawn until it reaches that size: check this against your order before you plan a transfer. A Bitcoin deposit from another wallet must be at least 0.000007 BTC, or 700 satoshis.
Satoshi
The smallest unit of Bitcoin: 0.00000001 BTC. The glossary defines satoshi, custody and other terms used on this page.
Hold on MKX or withdraw to your own wallet
After a purchase your Bitcoin is in a hosted wallet, which the MKX terms and conditions call a Digital Asset Wallet. Hosted means the wallet is provided inside your MKX account; it is not software you install and back up yourself. The terms name the Wallet Custody Services Provider: Fireblocks. They also list account controls: two-factor authentication, locked withdrawal addresses and IP whitelisting.
The alternative is self-custody: you withdraw to a wallet whose keys only you hold. You then no longer depend on MKX for access to the coins, and protecting the keys and the recovery phrase becomes your job alone. Bitcoin transfers are irreversible, so coins sent to a wrong address cannot be recalled.
The page on how MKX stores client Bitcoin quotes the storage wording in the terms and lists what is not published, such as audit reports.
Your Bitcoin on MKX
Source: MKX terms
- Wallet
- Hosted Digital Asset Wallet
- Wallet Custody Services Provider
- Fireblocks
- Account controls
- 2FA, locked withdrawal addresses, IP whitelisting
No deposit protection
Clients' Virtual Assets and Fiat Assets are not covered by any deposit protection mechanism from MKX.
What moves the price you pay
The price on your order comes from MKX, not from a public order book. MKX names Binance as its primary external liquidity provider and determines prices from current market conditions and the liquidity available through Binance. The figure in the converter is indicative. The price you trade at is the one on the trade execution screen.
Bitcoin is volatile. Its price can change between the moment you open the app and the moment you confirm, and it can fall sharply after you buy. MKX does not publish its spread, so compare the quoted price with a market reference before you confirm.
One fact about the asset is fixed in its protocol: only 21 million bitcoins will ever be created. That is a supply rule, not a reason to expect any price. Past prices are no guide to future ones, and this page makes no forecast.
How the price is formed
- Quoted by
- MKX, as broker-dealer
- Liquidity provider
- Binance, named as primary
- Final price
- On the trade execution screen
- Spread
- Not published
Who can buy Bitcoin through MKX
The licence condition on the VARA register permits MKX to serve retail, qualified and institutional investors. For an individual, the published requirements are these.
| Minimum age | 18 |
|---|---|
| Identity document | Emirates ID or passport |
| Identity check | ID upload and a liveness check |
| Investor classes | Retail, Qualified and Institutional Investors |
| Funding | AED bank transfer from a UAE bank account |
| Card payments | Not confirmed |
Abu Dhabi and the other emirates
MKX is based in Dubai and takes dirhams from UAE bank accounts. It publishes no emirate-by-emirate restrictions, so ask MKX support if you live outside Dubai.
A broker-dealer quote compared with an order-book exchange
VARA licenses Broker-Dealer Services and Exchange Services as separate activities, and the MKX register entry lists the first. The table shows what that changes for a buyer, in general terms.
| Feature | Broker-dealer quote (MKX) | Order-book exchange |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Quoted by the firm, from market conditions and its liquidity provider | Set where buyers' and sellers' orders meet |
| Fee shape | One flat percentage: 1.5% per trade | Often maker and taker rates, tiered by volume |
| Order book | No | Yes |
| Your choice | Accept or decline the quoted price | Take the market price or post your own |
| Suits | Occasional conversions of AED to Bitcoin | Frequent trading at prices you set |
The drawbacks of the MKX model are plain. There is no order book, so you cannot post your own price and wait. A flat 1.5% can cost an active trader more than a tiered schedule would. And the Fee Schedule lists ten assets, a short list next to a large exchange.
The same balance, another asset
Your dirham balance is not tied to Bitcoin. You can also buy USDT in Dubai with AED, a token pegged to the US dollar, at the same 1.5%.
Questions about buying Bitcoin in the UAE
Is it legal to buy Bitcoin in the UAE?
Yes. Dubai regulates the firms that offer virtual assets instead of banning the activity: a firm must apply for and receive a licence from VARA before undertaking virtual asset activities in Dubai. MKX is licensed by VARA for Broker-Dealer Services, reference VL/25/04/001. The guide that asks is cryptocurrency legal in Dubai sets out who regulates what and how to check a firm on the public register.
What is the smallest amount I can buy?
MKX publishes one minimum for a purchase: an AED bank deposit of at least AED 380. A minimum order size is not on the Fee Schedule, so the trade screen is where you see the smallest order it accepts. Bitcoin itself divides into 100,000,000 satoshis per coin, which is why an order can be a small fraction of one bitcoin.
Can I sell Bitcoin for AED later?
Yes. Selling Bitcoin for AED is a crypto-to-fiat trade and carries the same 1.5% fee as a purchase. The dirhams go to your AED balance, and a bank withdrawal starts at AED 100; the Fee Schedule lists its fee as 30. The bank payout works as described on the page about how to sell USDT for AED and withdraw to a bank.
Can I buy Bitcoin with a card?
Not as a confirmed option. The funding route stated for Bitcoin purchases is an AED bank transfer from a UAE bank account, with a 0% deposit fee and a minimum of AED 380. Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay funding are not confirmed, so plan on a bank transfer and ask support before you rely on any other method.
Is my Bitcoin protected if MKX fails?
No protection scheme covers it. The MKX terms state that clients' Virtual Assets and Fiat Assets are not covered by any deposit protection mechanism from MKX. Dirhams are held in a Client Money Account with a regulated financial institution licensed in the UAE, and the terms name Fireblocks as Wallet Custody Services Provider. Neither arrangement is insurance against loss, and you can lose all the money you invest.
Regulatory information
This service is provided by MKX Virtual Assets Broker & Dealer Services L.L.C., Office No 4001, Concorde Tower 1, Al Thanyah Fifth, Dubai, UAE. The company is licensed by VARA for Broker-Dealer Services, reference VL/25/04/001. The VARA public register entry for MKX shows a VASP Licence issued on 18 April 2025 with the status Active.
The register lists Broker-Dealer Services only. MKX runs no order book and offers no derivatives and no earn product. Clients' Virtual Assets and Fiat Assets are not covered by any deposit protection mechanism from MKX, and a price shown before the trade execution screen is indicative.
This page is for information only. It is not investment advice or a recommendation to buy Bitcoin, and it takes no account of your circumstances. Read the risk disclosure statement before you trade. The licences page shows how to verify the VARA licence yourself, and company details are on the page about the MKX legal entity.
Licence record
Verified
- Entity
- MKX Virtual Assets Broker & Dealer Services L.L.C.
- Regulator
- VARA, Dubai
- Reference
- VL/25/04/001
- Activity
- Broker-Dealer Services
- Issued
- 18 April 2025
- Status
- Active
A Bitcoin order starts with a verified account
Create an account, verify your identity and fund it in AED from a UAE bank account, from AED 380. Bitcoin is volatile and you can lose all the money you invest.