Sonic Labs plans to launch algorithmic AED stablecoin denominated in USD

Sonic Labs plans to launch algorithmic AED stablecoin denominated in USD

A day after the UAE launched its digital dirham CBDC noting that it would be available to retail consumers by the end of 2025, Sonic Labs, an EVM Layer 1 platform that offers DeFi solutions, announced that it would be developing a UAE mathematically bound numerical AED stablecoin which is settled and denominated in USD.

The decision also seems to stems from the full draft of the STABLE Act by Congress for clearer oversight. According to the text, lawmakers are pushing for a two-year moratorium on algorithmic stablecoin.

As such Sonic Labs no longer wants to develop a US dollar pegged algorithmic stablecoin but an AED one. On March 22, Sonic Labs co-founder Andre Cronje said the company was working on a US dollar-pegged algorithmic stablecoin with an annual percentage rate (APR) of up to 23%.

But now Andre Cronje, Co Founder of Sonic Labs, and the Chief Technology Officer of the company stated on X, “We will no longer be releasing a USD based algorithmic stable coin. Completely unrelated, we will be releasing a mathematically bound numerical Dirham which is settled and denominated in USD, which is definitely not a USD based algorithmic stable coin.”

The UAE had enacted its stablecoin regulations back in 2024, allowing for regulated AED stablecoins to be used as a legal tender for the purchasing of goods and services, while allowing non AED stablecoins that had received regulatory approvals in the UAE to be used for the purchase of virtual assets and other crypto assets.

However the Central Bank of UAE strictly forbids the use of algorithmic stablecoins or crypto in any form.

This has pushed stablecoin issuers such as Tether to see a license for an AED backed stablecoin. Additionally the first AED regulated stablecoin, AE Coin from MBANK received a license. While Arab Financial Services (AFS), regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain and Egypt, also holding a retail payment license in the UAE has partnered with Ternoa Blockchain to launch stablecoin and crypto payments across POS ( Point of Service) counters for UAE merchants. The partnership will expand across the GCC.

Even Zand, a UAE digital Bank is also seeking to launch an AED stablecoin.

So it will be interesting to see how Sonic Labs will develop this mathematically bound numerical Dirham AED stablecoin and how it will work.

In December 2024, Sonic Labs launched its Sonic mainnet, an EVM-compatible layer-1 blockchain platform that offers developers attractive incentives and powerful infrastructure. With 10,000 transactions per second (TPS), sub-second finality, and a native, decentralized gateway to Ethereum, Sonic empowers developers to build the next generation of applications on unparalleled infrastructure and liquidity.

UAE gets its first AED stablecoin approved

UAE gets its first AED stablecoin approved

The first AED (UAE Dirham) stablecoin has been approved by the Central Bank of the UAE and is set to launch soon according to AE Coin’s X post. The AE Coin will be the first AED ( Dirham backed) stablecoin to be licensed in the UAE. While Tether who announced early on its intention to launch its AED stablecoin has not yet even received initial approval.

The AE Coin promises an instant, secure, stable, innovative, low-cost, and efficient payment experience that will reshape the future of the digital economy. A few months earlier the AE Coin had announced it received preliminary approval from the Central Bank.

AE Coin aims to empower individuals and businesses to access modern financial tools, fostering financial inclusion, and supporting innovation in industries such as e-commerce, remittances, and decentralized finance (DeFi).

Ramez Rafeek, General Manager of AED stablecoin, remarked, “AE Coin harnesses the speed and efficiency of blockchain technology, offering instant, secure, and cost-effective transactions. It simplifies transfers, making them faster and more seamless. In a rapidly evolving digital world, AE Coin sets a new standard for trust, security, and innovation in digital currency.”


According to Chainalysis, the stablecoin market in the UAE has grown significantly in 2024. Through the first half of the year, the value of stablecoins received by services (particularly CEX and DEX) in UAE totaled over US$9.8billion, a 55% spike over the US$6.3billion received over H1 2023.

Stablecoins now account for the largest share of crypto activity in the UAE (51%), which stands significantly higher than both Bitcoin (19%) and Ether (9%), which are typically considered to be the most recognized and popular cryptocurrencies.

Also Circle the issuer of the USDC stablecoin just announced the opening of its offices in ADGM and its partnership with Lu Lu Fin.

Tether to issue AED Stablecoin on TON blockchain

Tether to issue AED Stablecoin on TON blockchain

On the same day that Tether the issuer of the USDT stablecoin announced that USDT is now on TON Network on MobeeID, Alessandro Giori, Tether’s senior strategic partnership manager based out of Dubai UAE, speaking at the TON Gateway event in Dubai UAE, announced that the upcoming USDT AED stablecoin will be launched on the TON Blockchain network.

The announcement was made during the TON Gateway annual event for the TON community. As per the website the TON Gateway event aims to power TON Blockchain and put crypto in every pocket by acting as a gateway to Web3 for millions of Telegram users. The Gateway brings the TON ecosystem together to collaborate and drive this mission forward.

During the event Giori was speaking on the topic of USDT on TON. He was followed by Oleg Andreev CEO of Ton Apps, who spoke on gasless payments on TON, while Victor Mendes, Director of BD of Top discussed stablecoin adoption on TON.

Giori stated, that Tether and Ton have a strong relationship because they both focus on emerging markets. He noted that Tether is focusing on Brazil, Argentina, and Turkey. While Tether has 400 million users, TON has 1 billion users.

He states, “ In Just six months since we launched USDT on Ton, we have seen 1 billion USDT transacted on Ton chain, the fastest adoption for Tether in its history. We have been around for 10 years, on Ton we have seen 160,000 transactions per day and 7.6 million wallets.”

He noted that for example Turkey has inflation of 80%, Tether is used to protect value. They save in USDT, from the fisherman in Turkey to guy in Argentina who sells meat, Tether allows them to save in a currency that is more stable than theirs.

He also noted, that TON and Tether have been jointly educating people on stablecoin and Blockchain in nine universities in Africa. He explains this is very important given that 3 billion people around the world are unbanked because they don’t have enough money for banks to accept to open accounts with them.

In his final comments he stated, “As you might have heard about our announcement with joint venture UAE Phoenix Group and Acorn Group for the launch of a dirham backed stablecoin, we are happy to announce we will do Tether AED stablecoin on TON.”

Tether in August 2024, announced its plans to offer an AED pegged stablecoin set to be launched in collaboration with UAE based Phoenix Group. The Tether dirham backed stablecoin will need to be licensed from the UAE Central Bank which recently came out with its Payment Token services regulation. The regulation notes that only dirham backed stablecoins can be used as legal tenders for the purchase of goods and services within the UAE. Tether’s USDT can only be used for the purchase of virtual assets.

Soon afterwards in October, AED Stablecoin LLC announced that the Central Bank of UAE had provided it with in principle approval to launch and establish its own stablecoin, AE Coin. This comes after the Central Bank of UAE announced the “Payment Token Services Regulation”; Circular No. 2/2024, dated 7 June 2024, to be licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE.

Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are shifting towards stablecoins as their preferred asset class. In Saudi Arabia, stablecoins accounted for 46.1% of the total crypto value received, while in the UAE, they accounted for 51.3% — both higher than the global average of 44.7%