News

Tarabut Gateway & Visa Aim To Redefine Open Banking In MENA

The partnership will merge the capabilities of both companies as they plan innovative new solutions for the MENA region.

Published

3 years ago

May 9, 2023

Nour Nasir

Tarabut

Tarabut Gateway, the MENA region’s leading Open Banking platform, has announced a new strategic partnership with global payment leader Visa.

The companies will use their extensive Open Banking experience to collaborate on new products and solutions, such as credit risk assessments and lending, cross-border payments, and advanced analytical tools.

Tarabut Gateway currently offers various API-based solutions enabling banks, merchants, and fintech startups to build financial apps. Meanwhile, the company’s extensive Open Banking infrastructure continues to expand across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain.

tarabut gateway partnership with visa

The new partnership with Visa aims to enhance customer experiences and foster innovation across the region. It comes after Tarabut Gateway’s recent 32 million USD investment drive, in which Visa was a key participant.

Visa’s investment in Tarabut Gateway follows its recent acquisition of leading Open Banking platform Tink and represents part of a broader MENA strategy.

Abdulla Almoayed, Founder and CEO of Tarabut Gateway, explained his excitement about the collaboration:

“Our existing close relationship, through Visa’s investment in Tarabut Gateway, has paved the way for this collaboration. The progress of open banking in the Middle East in recent years has been remarkable [and] together with Visa, we will leverage our data infrastructure to bring new and improved products to customers”.

Also Read: A Guide To Digital Payment Methods In The Middle East

Meanwhile, Otto Williams, Senior Vice-President and Head of Product, Partnerships, and Digital Solutions for Visa Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, noted:

“The future of financial services is being shaped by next-gen digital innovation, with Open Banking and data sharing serving as a significant driver to help consumers better manage and access their finances. Our shared commitment to next-generation solutions will enable us to transform the financial landscape and offer cutting-edge services to our customers”.

News

Dirham-Backed Stablecoin DDSC Enters Live Phase In UAE

Central Bank approval moves the dirham-backed token into deployment, targeting regulated payments and settlement flows.

Published

4 days ago

February 13, 2026

Nour Nasir

dirham-backed stablecoin ddsc enters live phase in uae

The UAE has cleared the launch of DDSC, a dirham-backed stablecoin now entering live operation after approval from the Central Bank. The move pushes the project beyond its pilot phase and into the country’s regulated financial system.

The token is backed by a consortium led by IHC, Sirius International Holding and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), framing it as an institutional instrument rather than a consumer crypto product. DDSC was first announced in April 2025, but regulatory clearance now allows deployment and integration across approved channels.

DDSC runs on ADI Chain, a Layer 2 blockchain built by the Abu Dhabi-based ADI Foundation. The infrastructure is designed for governance and performance requirements expected by large institutions, linking blockchain settlement with existing compliance and oversight frameworks.

The focus is practical, targeting treasury settlements, high-value payments, trade and supply-chain transactions, and programmable financial flows for regulated entities. FAB plans to offer access to the token through approved platforms for its clients, keeping the rollout inside controlled banking environments.

“DDSC marks a defining milestone in the UAE’s digital finance journey,” said Syed Basar Shueb, CEO of IHC. “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”.

Also Read: Basatne Debuts ORBT Platform For Digital Refunds In UAE

FAB says the project reflects how stablecoins can sit within traditional finance when risk controls are built in from the outset. “This milestone underscores that stablecoins can be integrated responsibly into the financial system when built to meet rigorous regulatory and risk requirements,” said Futoon Hamdan AlMazrouei, Group Head of Personal, Business, Wealth and Privileged Client Banking Group at FAB.

The launch reinforces the UAE’s strategy of pushing digital finance through regulation instead of open-ended crypto experimentation. Stablecoins in this model are positioned less as trading assets and more as programmable extensions of national currency, aimed at institutional scale and government use cases.