Emirates NBD’s Liv Integrates First CBUAE-Registered Stablecoin USDU via Aquanow

Liv, the digital banking arm of Emirates NBD, is integrating USDU, the first USD-backed stablecoin registered by the Central Bank of the UAE. This move bridges traditional banking with regulated digital assets, allowing UAE customers to manage stablecoin holdings alongside their standard accounts within a single, compliant financial ecosystem.

What was announced

Liv, the digital banking arm of Emirates NBD, has entered a strategic partnership with Universal Digital Intl Ltd (Universal) and Aquanow ME FZE (Aquanow) to integrate USDU into its ecosystem. USDU is the first USD-backed stablecoin to be registered by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) under its Payment Token Services Regulation (PTSR). This digital asset is issued by Universal and is backed 1:1 by physical US dollar reserves held within UAE-based banks, with transparency maintained through monthly public attestations.

The integration is supported by Aquanow’s institutional-grade infrastructure, which provides the liquidity and digital asset rails for both USDU distribution and the upcoming Liv X crypto trading platform. Aquanow, which has processed more than $130 billion in trading volume, acts as the regulated infrastructure partner. This development follows the planned 2025 launch of crypto trading via Liv X, allowing customers to manage traditional fiat accounts and digital asset portfolios within the same mobile application.

To encourage adoption, Liv is launching a promotional campaign that offers users zero-fee crypto trading for a period of 90 days. The initiative aims to provide a regulated environment for digital asset participation, utilizing Aquanow’s status as a Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA)-licensed broker-dealer and Universal’s CBUAE registration to ensure compliance across the transaction lifecycle.

"Emirates NBD continues to champion financial innovation that aligns with the goals of UAE’s progressive digital economy. By integrating the CBUAE-registered USDU stablecoin into the Liv ecosystem, we are not only expanding our digital asset capabilities, but also offering our customers a secure, transparent and regulated bridge to digital assets within their everyday banking app. Building on the momentum of our crypto trading launch in 2025, this strategic partnership with Universal and Aquanow empowers our customers to participate in the digital asset economy within a trusted, world-class banking environment."

Rohit Garg, Group Head of Retail Products and Chief Digital Officer of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates NBD

The companies involved

Emirates NBD is a cornerstone of the Middle Eastern banking sector, operating as a major financial services group in the UAE. Its digital-only subsidiary, Liv, was established as the country's first digital bank to target a younger, mobile-first demographic. Universal Digital Intl Ltd operates as a specialized issuer within the UAE's evolving regulatory framework, specifically under the Central Bank of the UAE’s Payment Token Services Regulation. Aquanow ME FZE serves as the technical backbone for these operations, acting as a digital asset infrastructure provider. The company holds a Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) license as a broker-dealer, positioning it to bridge the gap between traditional banking systems and decentralized finance. Together, these entities represent a multi-layered approach to digital finance, combining the scale of a legacy banking giant with the agility of fintech infrastructure providers and the oversight of regional regulators.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has extensively tracked Emirates NBD’s aggressive digital transformation. We recently covered how Emirates NBD Becomes First MENA Bank to Deploy OpenAI GPT Models via In-Country Infrastructure, highlighting its commitment to sovereign AI. The bank’s regional expansion was also noted when Emirates NBD Egypt and EFG Hermes Expand Wealth Management with New Equity Fund Access. This latest stablecoin integration aligns with a broader trend of institutional digital asset adoption in the UAE, similar to when Zodia Custody Secures ADGM Approval to Launch Digital Securities Custody in Abu Dhabi and the subsequent news that Standard Chartered to Acquire Zodia Custody in Major Digital Asset Expansion.

What this means

This integration signals a shift from experimental crypto pilots to "bank-grade" digital asset services. By utilizing a stablecoin registered by the CBUAE, Emirates NBD is effectively de-risking the entry point for retail investors who have previously been wary of unregulated exchanges. This puts significant pressure on other regional digital banks to provide similar native crypto functionality or risk losing market share to Liv’s integrated ecosystem. The move also raises questions for the wider industry about the future of independent crypto exchanges in the UAE; as traditional banks absorb these services into their own apps, the value proposition for standalone platforms may diminish in favor of regulated, all-in-one banking environments.