DUBAI, July 25 (Reuters) - Middle Eastern crypto exchange Rain said on Tuesday its Abu Dhabi unit obtained a license to operate a virtual assets brokerage and custody service for clients in the United Arab Emirates. Local asset managers have been hesitant to work with crypto firms without a domestic licence, he continued, adding they will now feel more comfortable after it obtained regulatory approval. Rain, which has units registered in Bahrain and Turkey, said it would use the proceeds on regional expansion. The UAE has been trying to attract some of the world's biggest crypto firms. It has also been trying to develop virtual asset regulation to attract new forms of business as economic competition heats up in the Gulf region.

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Persons: Coinbase, Yehia Badawy, Badawy, Kleiner Perkins, Hadeel Al Sayegh, Emma Rumney Organizations: United, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi Global, Coinbase Ventures, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Abu, United Arab, The Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Silicon Valley, Bahrain, Turkey, Gulf