Dubai, UAE, Nov 09: 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.