News

Yalla!Hub Forms New Partnership With WEE Marketplace

The collaboration will accelerate e-commerce digitalization and allow for speedy deliveries across the Gulf countries.

Published

2 years ago

September 26, 2023

Nour Nasir

Yalla!Hub

After raising $6 million to expand into Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Yalla!Hub is now set to collaborate with WEE to facilitate the sale of products through both YallaMarket and the WEE marketplace. The companies plan to enhance the GCC e-commerce market using a range of innovative solutions for sales and delivery, presenting new opportunities for Emirati-based and foreign suppliers.

“This collaboration with WEE Marketplace signifies a major step forward in our mission to revolutionize e-commerce through digitalization in the UAE and GCC, making market entry and operations smoother both for customers and businesses. With this partnership, we’re able to extend the reach of brands to a wider audience,” explained Leo Dovbenko, CEO of Yalla!Hub.

wee marketplace delivery driver

Meanwhile, new partner WEE is uniquely positioned in the UAE and already well known for fast delivery services. The company’s WEE Marketplace will soon feature goods from Yalla!Hub on their platform, empowering Dubai shoppers with 1-hour delivery windows and a next-day service across the rest of the Emirates.

“WEE Marketplace and Yalla!Hub are absolute leaders of the UAE fast e-commerce market, and this partnership opens new horizons for brands, allowing them to enter at once both platforms. We choose the brands very carefully, aiming to give the best products to our customers,” said Anastasia Kim, CEO and co-founder of WEE marketplace.

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The Emirati e-commerce market has now reached a value of nearly $13 billion and is expected to grow to $20 billion by 2027. Express deliveries account for 5.5% of total merchandise turnover, which currently stands at around $700 million. Among the express delivery categories, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, flowers, and groceries lead the way.

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”.

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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.