E and, one of the United Arab Emirates largest telecommunications operators, has begun testing blockchain based payment rails by integrating AE Coin, a licensed dirham pegged stablecoin, into select digital service channels. The pilot is being launched with Al Maryah Community Bank following a memorandum of understanding that positions AE Coin as a regulated digital payment asset that can support mobile bills, home service charges and prepaid or postpaid account balances. Executives described the framework as an extension of the UAE’s broader push to formalize digital asset infrastructure across financial and consumer platforms. Early messaging from the participants highlights instant settlement and improved transactional transparency as key benefits, reflecting industry wide priorities around reducing friction in retail payment flows while maintaining regulatory alignment. The move places regulated stablecoins directly inside high frequency consumer transactions where speed, compliance certainty and predictable value transfer are significant operational advantages.
The project is expected to study how the token can be embedded across e and digital properties, including smart service systems and potentially e commerce touchpoints. This establishes a model where regulated stablecoins could serve as an alternative settlement rail inside one of the country’s most widely used service ecosystems. Leadership from both organizations framed the stablecoin as a mechanism for enhancing liquidity efficiency across micro transactions while retaining oversight structures that meet local supervisory requirements. The initiative arrives at a time when multiple global issuers are expanding their regulated presence in the UAE. USDT has been formally recognized as an Accepted Virtual Asset by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority inside Abu Dhabi Global Market, while Circle has received approval for its Financial Services Permission license. These developments indicate increasing interest from institutions seeking compliant frameworks for stablecoin settlement in the region’s financial and commercial markets.
In parallel, e and money, the fintech arm of the telecom operator, is partnering with Crypto dot com to explore opportunities in digital asset integration across treasury, merchant services and programmable reward systems. The collaboration will evaluate how dual platform functionality could support faster settlement cycles and enhanced user experiences, while maintaining the regulatory safeguards required within the UAE’s digital finance environment. Executives emphasized that the partnership aims to unlock real world utility for stablecoins by linking token based payments with deep liquidity sources and custody solutions. Both entities indicated that additional use case testing may follow, contingent on regulatory approvals. Market analysts note that these combined developments position the UAE as one of the more advanced jurisdictions for regulated stablecoin experimentation, particularly in scenarios where consumer scale and institutional oversight need to operate in parallel. The AE Coin pilot provides a structured environment for understanding how licensed stable assets behave within high volume transactional systems.
