The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has approved the launch of DDSC, a UAE dirham-backed stablecoin operating on ADI Chain, an institutional Layer-2 blockchain developed by the Abu Dhabi-based ADI Foundation.
IHC, Sirius International Holding, and First Abu Dhabi Bank announced the approval on 11 February 2026. DDSC comes as an addition to the stablecoin initiative announced in 2025 by IHC and FAB. Sirius International Holding, IHC's technology-focused subsidiary, has joined the project to support deployment, integration, and institutional adoption.
The stablecoin targets institutional and government-led use cases, including payments and collections, high-value settlement and treasury operations, trade and supply-chain flows, and programmable financial services for regulated entities. DDSC is set to be made available to FAB customers through a variety of approved platforms, supporting institutional and enterprise applications while sustaining compliance, transparency, and operational integrity standards.
Institutional blockchain infrastructure supports regulated deployment
ADI Chain is designed for governance, scalability, and institutional performance, bridging traditional financial systems with blockchain-enabled digital asset ecosystems. The infrastructure enables regulated entities to participate while maintaining oversight, security, and compliance requirements.
Expanding on the current announcement, Syed Basar Shueb, CEO of IHC, stated that DDSC marks a defining milestone in the UAE's digital finance development. With Central Bank approval and transition into live operation, the organisation brings trusted, institutional-grade infrastructure, solidifying resilience, accelerating advancement, and expanding possibilities in regulated digital payments. As a UAE dirham-backed, programmable stablecoin, DDSC is designed to modernise payments, settlement, and treasury workflows while facilitating secure, automated value transfer, including future machine-to-machine transactions and trade between AI agents as the autonomous economy evolves.
Adding to this, Futoon Hamdan AlMazrouei, Group Head of Personal, Business, Wealth and Privileged Client Banking Group at First Abu Dhabi Bank, stated the milestone underscores that stablecoins can be integrated responsibly into financial systems when built to meet rigorous regulatory and risk requirements. FAB allows DDSC to merge regulatory oversight with blockchain infrastructure, providing secure, scalable solutions supporting institutional and government clients across the UAE's evolving digital economy.
Ajay Hans Raj Bhatia, Group CEO of Sirius International Holding, commented that with DDSC now live, the industry takes the next step in a new phase of regulated digital finance. Sirius supports this national initiative by accelerating adoption and unlocking real-world institutional applications, enabled by ADI's blockchain infrastructure and underpinned by the UAE's regulatory position.
