Abu Dhabi Regulator Clears Ripple’s RLUSD for Institutional Use
Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin has been approved for institutional use in Abu Dhabi, gaining recognition as an Accepted Fiat-Referenced Token inside the ADGM financial zone.
Ethan Moore
Abu Dhabi’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) has approved Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, for institutional use inside the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), marking another major regulatory milestone for the company in the UAE.
Ripple said the ruling designates RLUSD as an Accepted Fiat-Referenced Token, allowing licensed firms in the free-zone financial center to deploy the stablecoin for permitted activities, including payments and treasury-related operations, subject to reserve and disclosure requirements.
“With a market capitalization above $1 billion and growing adoption in core financial uses like collateral and payments, RLUSD is quickly becoming a go-to USD stablecoin for major institutions,” said Jack McDonald, senior vice president of stablecoins at Ripple.
Another milestone for @Ripple here in the Middle East: $RLUSD is now approved for use as lending collateral within @ADGlobalMarket
— Reece Merrick (@reece_merrick) November 27, 2025
This year has seen some awesome momentum for Ripple in the Middle East.
Can’t wait to keep building on these solid foundations as we head into…
Expanding presence across the UAE
The approval strengthens Ripple’s ongoing expansion in the region. The company obtained in-principle authorization from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) in late 2024 and secured full regulatory approval the following March to operate inside the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
Earlier this year, DFSA also approved RLUSD for regulated use within the DIFC, allowing businesses to adopt the stablecoin for payments, treasury management and other licensed financial activities.
Ripple has already attracted early institutional users in the UAE, including Zand Bank and the fintech app Mamo, both of which integrated Ripple Payments into their operations.
Regulatory momentum and new national rules
RLUSD, launched in late 2024, is issued under a limited-purpose trust charter from the New York Department of Financial Services. It is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar and fully backed by cash and equivalents.
The approval comes as the UAE implements a sweeping new regulatory law—Federal Decree Law No. 6 of 2025—which places decentralized finance (DeFi), Web3 platforms and digital-asset service providers under the oversight of the Central Bank of the UAE. The framework requires firms involved in payments, lending, custody or exchange services to obtain full licensing by September 2026.
The combination of local free-zone approvals and nationwide regulatory clarity positions the UAE as one of the most active jurisdictions globally for blockchain and digital-asset adoption.