
CoinMENA taps Standard Chartered for UAE rails
- CoinMENA has partnered with Standard Chartered to strengthen fiat payment infrastructure for UAE customers.
- The agreement covers fiat on- and off-ramps, client money accounts and transaction management services.
- Separately, Revolut reportedly secured UAE central bank licences ahead of a planned market launch.
CoinMENA, a cryptocurrency exchange operating in the Middle East, has entered a banking agreement with Standard Chartered to enhance fiat payment services for customers in the United Arab Emirates.
The partnership comes as digital asset firms increasingly seek regulated banking relationships to support payment processing, liquidity management and institutional participation in the region.
“We believe the industry's future depends on strong banking, regulatory, and operational foundations, not just technology,” said CoinMENA co-founders Dina Sam’an and Talal Tabbaa.
Under the agreement, CoinMENA will use Standard Chartered's infrastructure for fiat on- and off-ramps, client money accounts and virtual account-based transaction management, with the exchange stating that the arrangement will improve transparency and liquidity settlement.
Standard Chartered said the UAE's regulatory environment has helped create opportunities for collaboration between financial institutions and digital asset companies, while neither company disclosed financial terms of the agreement.
In a separate development, Revolut reportedly received approval from the Central Bank of the UAE for Stored Value Facilities and Retail Payment Services licences as it prepares for a local launch.
Revolut is expected to offer multi-currency accounts, payment cards and money transfer services in the UAE, although the company has not confirmed whether cryptocurrency trading, staking or other digital asset services will be included in its local offering.