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Virtuzone Partners With Binance For Crypto Payments
Virtuzone, the leading provider of business formation and corporate services in the UAE, has partnered with Binance to accept cryptocurrency payments.
Virtuzone has just announced its latest partnership with Binance, the blockchain ecosystem, and crypto infrastructure provider, will make them the first company of their kind in the UAE to accept digital currency payments. The company will soon begin using the Binance Pay platform to forge ahead with its ambitious plans, helping to fuel further growth of the nation’s already buzzing startup scene.
“The partnership we have forged with Binance reflects our commitment to continue our pursuit of innovative solutions that will positively impact the UAE startup community while expanding the future possibilities and opportunities for Virtuzone and its clients. Collaborating with a renowned Web 3.0 technology leader like Binance puts us at the forefront of digital transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution across the UAE and the region,” says Neil Petch, Chairman, and Co-founder of Virtuzone.
Although Dubai is already making a name for itself as a crypto-friendly startup spot, the Virtuzone and Binance partnership aims to turn the entire UAE into a hub for crypto projects and Web 3.0 development. More and more businesses are relocating to the region each year due to its crypto policies and ease of doing business, and the recent pairing goes hand-in-hand with this trend.
Also Read: 3 Best Cold Storage Wallets For Crypto In 2023
Binance Pay allows borderless, contactless, and secure crypto payments and transfers. The platform will enable companies to accept crypto or regular payments without intermediaries. The list of leading UAE businesses that have integrated Binance into their payment portfolios is currently proliferating, including the likes of JA Resorts & Hotels and Majid Al Futtaim — which now means consumers can use Binance Pay in 29 retail malls and 13 hotels.
The Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) of the UAE recently rolled out new regulatory guidelines on virtual asset promotions, marketing, and advertising. Binance intends to create a legal framework that maintains tight security without stifling innovation or economic development.
News
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.
Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.
The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc
— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026
“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.
Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.
Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget
The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.
Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
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