International Holding Company (IHC), Sirius International Holding, and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) have announced that the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has approved the launch of the UAE dirham-backed stablecoin, DDSC, marking a major advancement in the country’s regulated digital finance ecosystem.
DDSC will operate on ADI Chain, an institutional-grade Layer-2 blockchain developed by the Abu Dhabi-based ADI Foundation.
The stablecoin builds on the initiative first unveiled in April 2025 by IHC and FAB. It now moves into its operational phase with Sirius International Holding— IHC’s technology-focused subsidiary— joining to support deployment, system integration, and institutional adoption.
Structured as a fully compliant digital financial instrument tailored for institutional and government applications, DDSC is designed to enable high-value use cases within a trusted regulatory framework, including:
- Payments and collections
- High-value settlements and treasury operations
- Trade and supply chain transactions
- Programmable financial services for regulated entities
DDSC will be accessible to FAB clients through approved platforms, serving institutional and enterprise requirements while upholding stringent standards of compliance, transparency, and operational integrity.
Purpose-built for governance, scalability, and institutional performance, ADI Chain bridges traditional financial systems with blockchain-based digital asset ecosystems. It allows regulated participants to leverage blockchain innovation without compromising oversight, security, or compliance.
The launch further strengthens the UAE’s leadership in regulated digital finance and highlights the increasing maturity of stablecoins as foundational infrastructure within modern financial systems.
Syed Basar Shueb, CEO of IHC, described DDSC as a pivotal milestone in the UAE’s digital finance evolution, emphasizing its role in modernizing payments, settlements, and treasury workflows, while enabling secure and automated value transfers — including future machine-to-machine transactions and AI-driven trade in the emerging autonomous economy.
Futoon Hamdan AlMazrouei, Group Head of Personal, Business, Wealth and Privileged Client Banking at FAB, noted that the approval demonstrates how stablecoins can be responsibly integrated into the financial system when built to meet robust regulatory and risk standards. She added that FAB is ensuring DDSC combines regulatory oversight with scalable blockchain infrastructure to support institutional and government clients across the UAE’s digital economy.
Ajay Hans Raj Bhatia, Group CEO of Sirius International Holding, stated that DDSC’s launch signals a new chapter in regulated digital finance, with Sirius supporting accelerated adoption and practical institutional use cases enabled by ADI’s sovereign blockchain infrastructure and the UAE’s progressive regulatory framework.
With regulatory approval secured, DDSC now formally enters its live operational phase, representing a meaningful step toward deeper integration between institutional finance and the evolving digital asset economy.
