finpeel Answers · UAE · updated 2026-08-14

What is a Payment Token under UAE Central Bank rules?

A Payment Token is a token that falls within the definitions and scope of the CBUAE Payment Token Services Regulation and is used as a regulated medium of exchange. The regulation distinguishes Dirham Payment Tokens and Foreign Payment Tokens and regulates specified services around them.

The legal label matters because the CBUAE framework is about payment use, not crypto technology in the abstract. A token used for investment, securities or other virtual-asset activity can fall under another UAE regulator instead or in addition.

For product design, test the token function first: what backs it, what currency it references, who issues it, how it is redeemed and whether users can use it to pay for goods or services.

Regulator: Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE)

Primary sources: CBUAE — Payment Token Services Regulation

Directional — not legal advice. Verify with the regulator before committing.

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