Head of Sector Development at the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Paul Boots is a senior executive and entrepreneur recognised for his extensive experience in innovation, leadership, and market development. With a career spanning financial services, strategy, and technology, he has played a defining role in shaping the Middle East’s peer-to-peer financing sector. As the founding Group COO of Beehive, he helped pioneer one of the region’s first peer- to-peer lending platforms. His entrepreneurial work also includes co-founding a boutique advisory firm dedicated to leadership development and strategic transformation for major UAE- based organisations, with a particular focus on AI-driven technologies. Prior to these ventures, Boots served on the executive leadership team at the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), where he contributed to establishing Dubai as a global trade hub. During his tenure, he conceptualized and built DMCC’s commodity trade finance platform and secured partnerships with Islamic banking institutions. More recently, he led the creation of a large-scale B2B marketplace for the Investment Corporation of Dubai, further demonstrating his ability to design and deliver innovative platforms that advance economic growth. A graduate of Babson College, he is deeply committed to leadership, entrepreneurship, and developing high-performance teams. His role at VARA reflects Dubai’s strategic ambitions under the D33 agenda, with his leadership in sector development positioned to help cement the Emirate as a global leader in the virtual assets domain. His blend of strategic vision and operational acumen continues to play a pivotal role as VARA shapes the future of virtual asset regulation and innovation.
