Is Bank of Bullion Dubai a licensed bank?

Bank of Bullion Dubai: What You Need to Know

If you're searching for the Bank of Bullion Dubai because you saw the name on a website, a WhatsApp pitch, or a "gold investment" advert, slow down before you send any money. The name sounds official. That's the point.

Quick answer

There is no licensed bank in the UAE called "Bank of Bullion Dubai." The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) maintains a public register of licensed banks, and this name does not appear on it. Entities using variations of "bank of bullion" have popped up in online gold and crypto-adjacent marketing, but calling something a "bank" in the UAE requires a CBUAE licence under Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2018. If a firm uses "bank" in its name without that licence, that's a red flag — full stop.

Is Bank of Bullion Dubai a licensed UAE bank?

No. The CBUAE publishes its list of licensed financial institutions on centralbank.ae, and Bank of Bullion Dubai is not on it ^[1]. Under Article 76 of the Central Bank Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2018), no person may carry on Licensed Financial Activities — including using the word "bank" in a trade name — without CBUAE authorisation ^[2].

If you're looking at a website that calls itself a bank, do three checks:

1. Search the CBUAE licensed banks register directly.
2. Cross-check the trade licence on the relevant emirate's Department of Economic Development portal (DED Dubai, ADDED Abu Dhabi, etc.).
3. If the firm claims a DIFC or ADGM address, verify on the DFSA (Dubai Financial Services Authority) or FSRA public register — not on the firm's own site.

No listing, no licence. Walk away.

What about legitimate gold and bullion trading in Dubai?

Dubai has a real, regulated bullion market — that part is not a scam. The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) hosts the DMCC Tradeflow platform and the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX) in Almas Tower, JLT. Licensed bullion dealers operate under DMCC free zone rules and, for physical trading, must also comply with the UAE's AML framework under Cabinet Decision No. 10 of 2019 ^[3].

Refineries like Emirates Gold and Al Etihad Gold are licit players. Banks such as Emirates NBD and ADCB offer gold-linked accounts and Sharia-compliant gold products under CBUAE oversight. That is the regulated route. "Bank of Bullion" branding, by contrast, is not.

Honestly, most people get scammed here because the pitch mixes real Dubai landmarks — DMCC, DIFC, Almas Tower — with a fake entity name. The address checks out on Google Maps. The company does not check out on any regulator's register.

Watch out: Common red flags include guaranteed monthly returns on "gold savings accounts," referral commissions for bringing in new investors, WhatsApp-only communication, and IBAN payments to a personal account or a third-country bank. Any one of these should stop the transaction.

What to do if you've already paid Bank of Bullion Dubai

If money has already moved, act the same day if you can.

File a complaint with the CBUAE Consumer Protection Department through the Sanadak portal (sanadak.gov.ae) — this is the unified financial ombudsman launched in 2023 ^[4]. Report the fraud to Dubai Police via the eCrime platform (ecrime.ae) or call 901. If you sent AED from a UAE bank account, contact your bank's fraud desk immediately and request a recall; UAE banks can sometimes freeze funds if the receiving account is also UAE-based and the report is filed within 24-48 hours.

Keep every screenshot, contract, wallet address, and WhatsApp thread. You'll need them for the police report and for any civil claim under the UAE Civil Transactions Law (Federal Law No. 5 of 1985) for recovery of the amount paid.

For scams involving foreign wire transfers, recovery is harder but not impossible — a police report is still the starting point because it triggers the correspondent-bank compliance process.

How to verify any "bank" operating in Dubai

Three registers cover almost every legitimate scenario:

• CBUAE licensed banks and exchange houses: centralbank.ae → Financial Institutions → List of Licensed Financial Institutions.
• DFSA public register (for DIFC-based firms): dfsa.ae → Public Register.
• FSRA public register (for ADGM-based firms): adgm.com → FSRA → Public Register.

If a firm claims to be "regulated in Dubai" but appears on none of these, it isn't. Marketing language like "registered with DMCC" only means the entity has a trade licence — it does not authorise banking, deposit-taking, or investment services.

For broader context on how UAE banking supervision works, see our banking category page.

The blunt version

Bank of Bullion Dubai is not a CBUAE-licensed bank. If someone is pitching it as one, they are either mistaken or misleading you. Real gold investing in the UAE happens through DMCC-licensed dealers, DGCX, or CBUAE-supervised banks — not through unregistered entities using "bank" in their name.

Need this checked for your situation? Talk to a UAE-licensed lawyer →

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