Updated rules covering exchanges, custody and token issuance, together with the Digital Dirham and favourable personal taxation, were also among the factors cited in the assessment.
Singapore keeps top position
Singapore retained first place for a fourth consecutive year, while Hong Kong ranked third.
The US finished fourth with a score of 43.7 and was the only jurisdiction to receive a perfect 10 for public adoption, while Switzerland ranked fifth with 43.4.
Malta was sixth, followed by Thailand, the UK, Cyprus and The Bahamas.
The Bahamas entered the index in 10th place this year, while Bahrain was another new entrant at 13th globally.
Henley also ranked the UAE first in its separate Wealth Mobility Competitiveness measure with a score of 85.3 out of 100. Singapore followed at 79.5, New Zealand at 75.8, the Cayman Islands at 74.3 and Cyprus at 73.5.
Dubai regulation in focus
Dubai’s establishment of a standalone virtual asset regulator in 2022 was among the developments highlighted in the report.
Henley said regulatory clarity and the taxation of digital assets are among the factors shaping competition between international jurisdictions seeking to attract wealthy and globally mobile digital asset investors.
The index benchmarks 36 countries offering residence and citizenship pathways and assesses factors including regulation, taxation, infrastructure, innovation and adoption.
Crypto wealth reaches $2.6 trillion
Henley estimates that 135,694 people worldwide hold at least $1 million in cryptocurrency, including 92,272 Bitcoin millionaires.
Another 290 people are estimated to hold at least $100 million in digital assets, while there are 23 crypto billionaires worldwide, including nine Bitcoin billionaires.
Bitcoin accounted for $1.6 trillion of the total $2.6 trillion cryptocurrency market as of August 31.
Henley introduced a different methodology for its crypto wealth estimates in the 2026 report, using public blockchain and market data with adjustments intended to estimate individual holders instead of simply counting cryptocurrency addresses.
The estimate of 92,272 Bitcoin millionaires carries a range of between 74,000 and 114,000, while the wider estimate of 135,694 crypto millionaires has a range of between 132,000 and 154,000.
Henley said previous editions used a different methodology, meaning the 2026 figures cannot be directly compared with earlier reports and no year-on-year growth rate for the number of crypto millionaires was calculated.
Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.
Her reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF’s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region’s economy.
An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.
When she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5.
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