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- The partnership bridges traditional banking and digital assets, offering a highly secure and regulated experience for Liv customers
- Combines Universal's stablecoin innovation, Aquanow's regulated infrastructure and Liv's banking leadership to deliver a seamless customer experience
- An exclusive three-month zero-fee trading campaign launched to accelerate adoption and welcome customers to the enhanced platform
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Dubai, UAE, 9 November 2026: Liv, the UAE’s first and largest digital bank by Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the Middle East, North Africa, Türkiye and South Asia (MENATSA) region, has partnered with Universal Digital Intl Ltd (Universal) and Aquanow ME FZE (Aquanow) to introduce USDU, the UAE’s first Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE)-registered USD-backed stablecoin, into the Liv ecosystem.
Universal is the issuer of USDU, registered by the Central Bank of the UAE under its Payment Token Services Regulation (PTSR). Aquanow is the regulated digital asset infrastructure partner behind both USDU distribution and Liv X crypto trading. This partnership marks a major milestone in the evolution of regional digital banking and the convergence of traditional and digital finance.
Following the launch of crypto trading through Liv X in 2025, this initiative extends Liv’s digital asset proposition into a fully regulated, USD-denominated digital asset. This integration allows customers to seamlessly manage both their traditional banking activities and digital asset portfolios within a single, highly secure and familiar environment.
The introduction of USDU provides Liv by Emirates NBD customers access to a USD-denominated digital asset issued under one of the region’s most comprehensive regulatory frameworks. Registered by the CBUAE and issued by Universal, USDU is backed by 1:1 physical US dollar reserves, safeguarded with UAE banks and verified through publicly available monthly attestations.
The integration is powered by Aquanow’s institutional-grade infrastructure, providing the liquidity and digital asset rails underpinning both USDU distribution and Liv X. Having processed over USD 130 billion in trading volume, Aquanow delivers the scale and resilience required for institutional digital asset services.
Rohit Garg, Group Head of Retail Products and Chief Digital Officer of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates NBD, said: “Emirates NBD continues to champion financial innovation that aligns with the goals of UAE’s progressive digital economy. By integrating the CBUAE-registered USDU stablecoin into the Liv ecosystem, we are not only expanding our digital asset capabilities, but also offering our customers a secure, transparent and regulated bridge to digital assets within their everyday banking app. Building on the momentum of our crypto trading launch in 2025, this strategic partnership with Universal and Aquanow empowers our customers to participate in the digital asset economy within a trusted, world-class banking environment.”
Phil Sham, CEO, Aquanow, said: “Aquanow's role is to make regulated digital asset access work at bank-grade standards. Powering both USDU distribution and Liv X trading in a single stack is exactly the kind of integrated infrastructure the UAE market has been building toward: a CBUAE-registered stablecoin, a VARA-licensed broker-dealer and one of the region's largest digital banks, working end-to-end within regulated rails."
Juha Viitala, Senior Executive Officer, Universal, said: "USDU was built to bring transparent, USD-backed settlement into UAE regulatory frameworks. Seeing it become the first USD-backed token that Liv customers can trade, inside the app they already bank with, and through Aquanow's VARA-licensed infrastructure, shows what happens when a CBUAE-registered digital asset meets a regulated distribution partner and a bank willing to lead. This is what bank-grade stablecoin infrastructure looks like when it reaches the customer.”
To mark the launch and accelerate customer onboarding, Liv by Emirates NBD is introducing a three-month promotional campaign offering customers zero-fee crypto trading for ninety days, serving as an accelerator to welcome both new and experienced users to the enhanced platform.
About Emirates NBD
Emirates NBD (DFM: Emirates NBD) is a leading banking group in the MENATSA (Middle East, North Africa, Türkiye and South Asia) region with a presence in 13 countries, serving over 25 million active customers. As at 30th September 2026, total assets were AED 1.38 trillion, (equivalent to approx. USD 375.7 billion). The Group has operations in the UAE, Egypt, India, Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Russia and Bahrain and representative offices in China and Indonesia with a total of 1,399 branches and 4,967 ATMs / SDMs. Emirates NBD is the leading financial services brand in the UAE with a Brand value of USD 6.1 billion.
Emirates NBD Group serves its customers (individuals, businesses, governments, and institutions) and helps them realise their financial objectives through a range of banking products and services including retail banking, corporate and institutional banking, Islamic banking, investment banking, private banking, asset management, global markets and treasury, and brokerage operations. The Group is a key participant in the global digital banking industry with 97% of all financial transactions and requests conducted outside of its branches. The Group also operates Liv, the lifestyle digital bank by Emirates NBD, with close to half a million users, it continues to be the fastest-growing bank in the region.
Emirates NBD demonstrates leadership in sustainability by becoming the first bank globally to publish an IFRS S1 and S2-aligned report along with assurance of financed emissions and through the landmark issuance of the world’s first Sustainability-Linked Financing Sukuk by Emirates Islamic of USD 500 million fully aligned with ICMA guidelines. Emirates NBD continues to engage and support communities through its pioneering exchanger volunteer programme which completed 10 years in 2025 with over 160,000 hours contributed to social causes for over 1.1 million beneficiaries.
For further information on Emirates NBD, please contact:
Ibrahim Sowaidan
Senior Vice President
Head - Group Corporate Affairs
Emirates NBD
Telephone: +971 4 609 4113 / +971 50 6538937
e-mail: ibrahims@emiratesnbd.com
Burson
Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971-4-4507600;
Email: emiratesnbd@bursonglobal.com
ABOUT UNIVERSAL
Universal is a regulated stablecoin issuer offering trusted digital asset settlement for institutional digital finance. Universal issues USDU, a fully USD-backed stablecoin designed to bring greater transparency, efficiency, and interoperability to digital asset settlement. Fully backed 1:1 by U.S. dollar reserves held with leading regulated UAE banks, USDU supports institutional confidence and operational resilience across digital asset markets.
For more information, visit universal.ae.
Universal Digital Intl Limited is regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority under Financial Services Permission No. 250089 to conduct the regulated activity of issuing a Fiat-Referenced Token to Professional Clients only. Universal is also registered with the Central Bank of the UAE as a Foreign Payment Token Issuer under the Payment Token Services Regulation. USDU is not positioned as a general-purpose domestic payment instrument in the UAE.
This communication is provided for information purposes only and is intended for Professional Clients only. It does not constitute, and should not be construed as, a direct or indirect offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for, any securities or any other product.
ABOUT AQUANOW
Aquanow is a leading institutional digital asset platform powering crypto financial services in partnership with banks, neobanks, brokerages and payment companies worldwide. Aquanow maintains a global presence with regional teams across North America, Middle East, Europe and Asia. Founded in 2018, the company facilitates billions of dollars in monthly cryptocurrency brokerage and crypto payment transactions, delivering secure, compliant, and scalable solutions. For more information, please visit www.aquanow.com.
In the UAE, Aquanow operates via Aquanow ME FZE, which is incorporated in Dubai World Trade Centre, under license number L-2795 and regulated by Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority with license (VL/24/01/001) activities including Broker-Dealer Services, Lending and Borrowing Services and Management and Investment Services. Virtual assets come with risks, including price fluctuations and the chance of losing your investment. They aren’t covered by financial protections, so it’s important to understand these risks fully
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