Emirates to Launch Crypto Payment Option by Late 2025
Emirates Airline has entered a strategic partnership with Crypto dot com, aiming to integrate cryptocurrency payments into its ecosystem by the end of 2025. The collaboration, marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding, will see the adoption of Crypto dot com Pay across the airline’s services.
The agreement was signed in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group. The MoU was signed by Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ deputy president and chief commercial officer, and Mohammed Al Hakim, president of Crypto dot com’s UAE operations.
Kazim described the move as a step towards providing customers with greater flexibility in line with Dubai’s larger vision of leading financial innovation.
Pilot Launch Planned Before Global Rollout
The implementation is expected to begin in the last quarter of 2025. A spokesperson from Crypto dot com confirmed that the first phase would focus on technical readiness, regulatory compliance, and customer experience design.
The companies are still assessing whether to launch the service on selected routes, in specific markets, or go for a broader global rollout. A phased pilot launch is likely before full-scale implementation.
To ensure stability, customer payments made in cryptocurrency will be instantly converted into Emirati dirhams using real-time exchange rates. Emirates will not hold crypto assets on its balance sheet, maintaining compliance and minimising exposure to currency fluctuations.
Joint Promotions to Drive Adoption
Beyond technical integration, Emirates and Crypto dot com plan to collaborate on promotional campaigns to raise awareness and encourage adoption. The initiative is expected to appeal to tech-savvy travellers and crypto users looking for modern and flexible payment options while booking flights.
Crypto dot com also indicated it is exploring further collaborations with other regional and international airlines, as part of a broader strategy to build a seamless crypto payment network across the travel, retail, and hospitality sectors.
Dubai Emerges as Global Crypto Hub
The Emirates partnership reflects Dubai’s broader ambition to become a global centre for blockchain and digital assets. The emirate has made significant progress in establishing a crypto-friendly regulatory environment, attracting companies across sectors such as real estate and telecoms.
Tether recently teamed up with UAE-based Reelly Tech, allowing property purchases using its stablecoin USDt via a global network of 30,000 agents. Meanwhile, Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin was recently approved by the Dubai Financial Services Authority, making it usable within the Dubai International Financial Centre.
The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre has become home to over 600 crypto companies, while other districts such as One Central and DIFC continue to see a steady influx of digital finance firms.
Real Estate Growth Linked to Tokenisation
Dubai’s real estate market is also witnessing a surge, partly fuelled by developments in asset tokenisation. In May, the city recorded property transactions worth over 66.8 billion dirhams, equivalent to around 18.2 billion US dollars, representing a 44 percent increase in value compared to the previous year.
Recent developments include a 3 billion dollar real-world asset deal involving MultiBank Group, property giant MAG, and blockchain provider Mavryk. On May 19, the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority updated its guidelines to support tokenised real estate, giving market players a clear regulatory path for launching and trading such assets.
According to lawyer Irina Heaver, these updates have created a favourable legal environment for the issuance and exchange of tokenised property, paving the way for more innovation in Dubai’s financial and real estate sectors.
