CoinMENA taps Standard Chartered for UAE payment rails

CoinMENA has signed a banking agreement with Standard Chartered to strengthen fiat payment infrastructure for users in the United Arab Emirates. 

The CoinMENA release said the exchange will use Standard Chartered’s banking capabilities for fiat on-ramps, off-ramps, safeguarded client money accounts and virtual account-based transaction management.

The deal gives CoinMENA more structured banking support as regulated crypto firms seek smoother access to local currency flows. The company said the setup is designed to support faster funding, more efficient settlement and better transaction transparency for customers and approved counterparties.

Standard Chartered backs regulated crypto firms

Standard Chartered UAE, Middle East and Pakistan CEO Rola Abu Manneh said the UAE has become “one of the world’s leading regulatory environments for digital assets.” She added that trusted banking infrastructure will remain essential as the sector matures.

CoinMENA co-founders Dina Sam’an and Talal Tabbaa said the industry’s future depends on “strong banking, regulatory, and operational foundations, not just technology.” Their statement points to a wider shift in the UAE, where crypto firms are moving closer to mainstream financial infrastructure instead of relying only on crypto-native rails.

In addition, Revolut has also moved closer to launching in the UAE. In a Revolut announcement, the company said it received Stored Value Facilities and Retail Payment Services licenses from the Central Bank of the UAE.

The licenses follow in-principle approval granted in September 2025. Revolut said it is now building its local product offering before a full-scale launch. Once live, UAE customers are expected to access multi-currency accounts, physical and virtual cards, local payments and international transfers through one app.

UAE crypto infrastructure keeps expanding

As previously reported by crypto.news, Kraken’s UAE approval moved the exchange closer to offering AED funding, margin trading, OTC services and Kraken Prime access in Dubai. That report showed how global exchanges are using local licensing and banking access to serve retail and institutional clients.

According to an earlier crypto.news report, AE Coin and USDU launched a regulated stablecoin conversion rail in the UAE for institutional settlement, treasury operations and cross-border payments. crypto.news previously reported that USDU’s launch gave the UAE a central bank-approved stablecoin framework for digital asset settlement.

Banking access becomes a key test

The CoinMENA and Revolut moves show how payment infrastructure has become central to the UAE’s digital finance market. Crypto exchanges need fiat rails to help users move funds in and out. Fintech apps need central bank licenses to offer payment and stored value services at scale.

The UAE has built separate pathways for virtual assets, payment tokens, retail payments and stored value services. That structure gives firms room to launch, but it also places a larger focus on compliance, settlement, client money protection and regulated banking partners.