Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE)
Can I use USDT or another foreign stablecoin for payments in the UAE?
Content reviewed 2026-08-14 · How we check sources
Short answer
Do not assume that a foreign stablecoin can be freely used for payments in the UAE. The CBUAE Payment Token Services Regulation places specific restrictions on Payment Tokens used for payment and provides a registration framework for qualifying Foreign Payment Token issuers.
What this means
The relevant test is not whether the token is globally traded. It is whether the proposed use in the UAE is a regulated payment-token activity and whether the token and the entities issuing, converting, safeguarding or transferring it meet the CBUAE framework.
A token may also fall within VARA, ADGM, DIFC or UAE CMA virtual-asset rules for other activities. Payment use and investment/trading use should therefore be analysed separately.
Official sources
CBUAE — Payment Token Services Regulation ↗CBUAE — Foreign Payment Token Issuer Registration ↗Ask with your entity, activity and regulator.
Regulatory research, not legal advice. This answer has the scope and review date shown above; your institution decides applicability.