The UAE has taken a decisive step into regulated digital currency infrastructure after the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) approved the launch of the dirham-backed stablecoin, DDSC, paving the way for institutional-grade blockchain-based payments in the country.

Announced by International Holding Company (IHC), Sirius International Holding and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the approval marks the formal operational launch of DDSC, positioning it as one of the region’s first fully regulated, sovereign-currency-backed digital tokens.

The stablecoin will run on ADI Chain — an institutional Layer-2 blockchain developed by the Abu Dhabi-based ADI Foundation.

Designed as a compliant digital financial instrument for institutional and government-led use cases, DDSC is positioned to support high-value applications with a trusted regulatory framework, including: 

• Payments and collections

• High-value settlement and treasury operations

• Trade and supply-chain flows

• Programmable financial services for regulated entities

The project builds on the stablecoin initiative first unveiled in April 2025 by IHC and FAB. It now moves into full deployment, with Sirius International Holding — IHC’s technology arm — joining to drive technical integration, infrastructure rollout and institutional adoption across financial and corporate platforms.

DDSC is expected to be made available to FAB customers through multiple approved platforms, supporting institutional and enterprise use cases while maintaining the highest standards of compliance, transparency, and operational integrity.

DDSC will operate on the ADI Chain, purpose-built for governance, scalability, and institutional performance. ADI Chain is designed to bridge traditional financial systems with blockchain-enabled digital asset ecosystems, enabling regulated entities to participate without compromising on oversight, security, or compliance.

The launch of DDSC reinforces the UAE’s position at the forefront of regulated digital finance and reflects the growing maturity of stablecoins as a core component of modern financial infrastructure.

Syed Basar Shueb, CEO of IHC, said: “DDSC marks a defining milestone in the UAE’s digital finance journey. 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. As a UAE dirham-backed, programmable stablecoin, DDSC is designed to modernize payments, settlement, and treasury workflows, while enabling secure, automated value transfer, including future machine-to-machine transactions and trade between AI agents as the autonomous economy evolves.”

Futoon Hamdan AlMazrouei, Group Head of Personal, Business, Wealth and Privileged Client Banking Group at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), added: “This milestone underscores that stablecoins can be integrated responsibly into the financial system when built to meet rigorous regulatory and risk requirements. As the UAE’s global bank, 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.”

Ajay Hans Raj Bhatia, Group CEO of Sirius International Holding, commented: “With DDSC now live, we are entering a new phase of regulated digital finance. Sirius is proud to 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.”

With approval to go live, DDSC now enters its operational phase, representing a substantive step forward in aligning institutional finance with the evolving digital-asset economy, a statement said. -TradeArabia News Service