Regulated digital currency enters live operation on Abu Dhabi’s ADI Chain, targeting institutional payments and treasury settlement
ABU DHABI – A consortium led by International Holding Company (IHC), First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), and Sirius International Holding has received final approval from the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) to launch DDSC, a UAE dirham-backed stablecoin now entering its operational phase.
First announced in April 2025 as a joint initiative between IHC and FAB, DDSC will operate on ADI Chain, an institutional Layer-2 blockchain developed by Abu Dhabi’s ADI Foundation. Sirius International Holding has joined the consortium to support deployment, integration, and institutional adoption.
The approval positions the UAE among a select group of jurisdictions with a fully regulated, fiat-backed stablecoin in live operation.
Built for Institutional Finance, Not Retail Speculation
DDSC is designed exclusively for regulated, high-value use cases. These include:
- Payments and collections
- High-value settlement and treasury operations
- Trade and supply-chain finance
- Programmable financial services for regulated entities
The stablecoin will be made available to FAB customers through multiple approved platforms, with an emphasis on compliance, transparency, and operational integrity.
Syed Basar Shueb, CEO of IHC, described the approval as a foundational step for the UAE’s digital economy.
“With the Central Bank’s approval and our transition into live operation, we are delivering trusted, institutional-grade infrastructure that strengthens resilience, accelerates innovation, and expands what is possible in regulated digital payments,” he said.
Shueb added that DDSC is designed to enable secure, automated value transfer—”including future machine-to-machine transactions and trade between AI agents as the autonomous economy evolves.”
Regulatory Rigour Meets Blockchain Infrastructure
Futoon Hamdan AlMazrouei, group head of personal, business, wealth and privileged client banking at FAB, said stablecoins can be integrated responsibly when built to meet rigorous regulatory and risk requirements.
“FAB is enabling DDSC to seamlessly combine regulatory oversight with blockchain infrastructure, providing secure, scalable solutions that support institutional and government clients across the UAE’s evolving digital economy,” she said.
Ajay Hans Raj Bhatia, group CEO of Sirius International Holding, framed the approval as the beginning of a new phase for regulated digital finance in the region.
“Sirius will support this national initiative by helping accelerate adoption and unlock real-world institutional applications, enabled by ADI’s sovereign blockchain infrastructure and underpinned by the UAE’s clear regulatory leadership,” he said.
What It Means
The CBUAE’s green light marks a substantive step forward in aligning institutional finance with the digital-asset economy under a clear regulatory framework. Unlike retail-focused cryptocurrencies, DDSC is purpose-built for enterprise and government workflows, reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s broader ambition to become a hub for sovereign blockchain infrastructure and regulated digital finance.
