Inc. Arabia, the Middle East edition of the global brand Inc. has named Irina Heaver, UAE Crypto Lawyer, as Top Women Of Influence 2026. 
 
DUBAI, UAE — August 8, 2026 — <a href="https://irinaheaver.com/">Irina Heaver, UAE Crypto Lawyer</a> and Founder of NeosLegal, has been named by Inc. Arabia's <a href="https://en.incarabia.com/inc-arabias-women-of-influence-2026-60-female-leaders-setting-new-standards-for-business-in-the-mena-region-879078.html">Women of Influence 2026</a>, the publication's annual list of women reshaping industries across the Middle East and North Africa. The list is selected by Inc. Arabia's editorial team and appears in the magazine's August 2026 issue.
Heaver is ranked by Lexology as the ‘Recommended Blockchain Lawyer’ in the UAE, alongside international firms including Clifford Chance and Latham & Watkins. She has advised government bodies on virtual asset policy and drafted regulations now in force, making her one of a small number of practitioners in the region who have both written rules and advised clients operating under them. In 2026 she was named Best UAE Crypto Lawyer by the Global Business Awards, and NeosLegal was named Best UAE Crypto Law Firm 2026 at the UAE Business Awards Middle East. 
 
From no rulebook to five regulators
Irina Heaver founded <a href="https://neoslegal.co/">NeosLegal</a> in 2016, establishing it as the country's first law firm dedicated exclusively to virtual assets, blockchain and Web3. At the time there was no VARA, no dedicated VASP licensing regime, and no licensing pathway for a crypto business.
Ten years on, the UAE operates five distinct regimes under which a virtual asset business can be authorised: VARA in Dubai, the federal CMA, the FSRA in ADGM, the DFSA in DIFC, and the Central Bank for payment tokens and stablecoin activity. The practical question facing founders has changed accordingly. It is no longer whether a crypto business can be licensed in the UAE, but which of five regulators it belongs under, and what that classification costs in capital, compliance and time.
NeosLegal has structured more than 350 blockchain and Web3 projects across those regimes, advising exchanges, token issuers, DeFi protocols, venture funds and real-world asset ventures on licensing, token classification and corporate structuring. Heaver also co-founded a Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange, giving her operational experience of the rules she now advises on. Before moving into virtual assets she spent more than a decade on cross-border transactions in oil, gas and infrastructure, including work involving sovereign wealth funds. 
 
Published work and recognition
Her published work includes The Founder's Guide to UAE Crypto Laws, now in its 2026 edition, and the UAE chapter of the Chambers and Partners Virtual Assets Practice Guide 2026, co-authored with the NeosLegal team. She writes on UAE virtual asset regulation for Forb

Inc. Arabia Names Irina Heaver, UAE Crypto Lawyer, Among MENA’s Top Women of Influence as the UAE Strengthens Its Position as the Global Virtual Assets Hub

Inc. Arabia Names Irina Heaver, UAE Crypto Lawyer, Among MENA’s Top Women of Influence as the UAE Strengthens Its Position as the Global Virtual Assets Hub

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