Payments and stablecoins in the UAE run through the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE). From retail payment services to stored-value facilities and the Payment Token Services framework governing stablecoins, we help payment platforms, fintechs and token projects understand whether they need a CBUAE licence — and how to get and keep one.
Who this is for
Payment service providers, remittance businesses, wallet and stored-value operators, payment-token (stablecoin) issuers and fintechs whose products move money — in, out of, or within the UAE.
What we do
- Map your product against the CBUAE’s frameworks — retail payment services, stored-value facilities and payment token services — to identify what is licensable.
- Advise stablecoin projects on the Payment Token Services framework, including how it treats dirham-referenced and foreign-currency tokens differently.
- Prepare licence applications and manage engagement with the Central Bank.
- Draft the agreements and policies a regulated payments business needs — customer terms, outsourcing, safeguarding and compliance frameworks.
- Coordinate CBUAE requirements with VARA, ADGM, DIFC and CMA rules where your model crosses regimes.
Stablecoins: the perimeter question that decides your model
The UAE’s payment-token framework draws sharp lines: what a token references, where it is issued, and what it is used for all change the regulatory outcome — including whether the token can lawfully be used for payments in the UAE at all. For stablecoin issuers and platforms integrating them, this analysis belongs at the design stage, not after launch.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a CBUAE licence for my payment product?
If you provide payment services, hold stored value or deal in payment tokens in the UAE, quite possibly. The answer depends on your exact flows and where your customers are — we map this precisely before you build compliance you may not need, or skip compliance you do.
Can I issue a stablecoin in the UAE?
Yes, within the CBUAE’s Payment Token Services framework — with materially different treatment depending on what the token references and how it is used. Whether your design fits, and in which form, is exactly what we assess.
My stablecoin project also involves trading. Is that VARA or CBUAE territory?
Potentially both — payments regulation and virtual-asset regulation can apply to different parts of the same business. We map the perimeter across regulators so nothing falls between the lines.