Dubai Partners With Crypto.com For Government Crypto Payments

Dubai has taken a significant step towards embracing digital finance by partnering with Crypto.com to enable cryptocurrency payments for government services. The agreement, signed between the Dubai Department of Finance (DOF) and Crypto.com, marks a pioneering move in the public sector, allowing residents and businesses to pay for government services using cryptocurrency. This initiative was announced at the Dubai FinTech Summit on May 12, 2025, and outlines plans for a secure digital payment channel that will convert cryptocurrency payments into Emirati dirhams and transfer them to DOF accounts.

The integration of crypto payments into Dubai's digital infrastructure is a major component of the city's broader ambition to become a global hub for financial innovation. The Dubai Cashless Strategy aims to shift more than 90% of financial transactions in both public and private sectors to digital methods by 2026. This move is expected to contribute at least AED 8 billion annually to the local economy by fostering fintech growth and streamlining financial services.

The agreement between DOF and Crypto.com is described as the first of its kind at the government-wide level, surpassing pilot programs in other jurisdictions. Once the technical integration is complete, users will be able to access the service through Crypto.com’s wallet, facilitating seamless and secure crypto transactions across all participating government entities. This development underscores Dubai's commitment to leveraging blockchain technology to enhance its financial ecosystem and position itself as a leader in digital finance.

Amna Mohammed Lootah, director of digital payment systems regulation, stated that Dubai’s plan is for 90% of financial transactions across the public and private sectors to be powered through cashless methods by 2026. “We are confident that this milestone will significantly accelerate the advancement of the Dubai Cashless Strategy,” she said. The DOF didn’t specifically mention which crypto it would start accepting, but did say the payments could be made using “stable cryptocurrencies,” possibly indicating stablecoins will be allowed.

A trio of major Abu Dhabi institutions, including the Emirate’s sovereign wealth fund, announced on April 28 a plan to launch a new dirham-pegged stablecoin. The city’s cashless strategy was first announced in October 2024. At the time, the DOF said 97% of all government payments in 2023 were already digital. The strategy has also been predicted to add at least 8 billion dirhams to the economy, fuelled by the development of financial technology services and the accelerated expansion of Dubai’s fintech sector.

Ahmad Ali Meftah, executive director of the central accounts sector at DOF, said in a statement the government is still actively developing a regulatory framework that “fosters innovation while ensuring the highest standards of security and efficiency” in digital financial transactions. Dubai is considered a crypto-friendly city. The emirate hosted the Dubai edition of Token2049 between April 30 and May 1 this year. Meanwhile, on March 19, the Dubai government started the pilot phase of a project to convert real estate assets into digital tokens on the blockchain.