What is a DNFBP in the UAE?
A DNFBP, or Designated Non-Financial Business and Profession, is any non-financial business whose activities expose it to money laundering, terrorist financing or proliferation financing risk and which is therefore required to meet the same core AML/CFT obligations as banks and other financial institutions. Although a DNFBP is not a financial institution, UAE law treats that risk exposure as sufficient to trigger full compliance duties.
In practice this means a DNFBP must assess its own risks, apply customer due diligence, screen against sanctions lists, appoint a compliance officer, keep records and report suspicious transactions to the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit through the goAML portal. The definition is activity based, so a firm can fall in or out of scope depending on the transactions it actually carries out.
Legal Reference (UAE):
· Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025 (Executive Regulations), Article 3 lists the business activities that make a person a DNFBP.
· Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Article 19 sets out the preventive obligations that apply to DNFBPs.
For more details, consult the full text of Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025 or seek guidance from your AML compliance officer.