LIV Bank in UAE launches first crypto trading campaign

LIV Bank in UAE launches first crypto trading campaign

Liv Bank, the first digital bank in UAE, and a subsidiary of Emirates NBD on its website, has launched its first crypto trading campaign in the UAE, spurring the first outright competition between UAE banking sector and crypto exchanges.

While Liv Bank announced their foray into the crypto trading arena back in March 2025, it is only now that they outrightly showcased it on their website and announced their first campaign.

Utilizing services of both Aquanow crypto exchange in the UAE, as well as Zodia Custody services, UAE Liv Bank have showcased themselves as a trusted partner to invest in crypto. UAE Liv Bank, explains how users in the UAE can trade securely with the Liv app for fees as low as 0.5% with guided modules and the security that Emirates NBD Bank brings.

In its crypto trading campaign, Liv Bank is offering every trade placed of order value USD 50 or more one entry into each of the draws. As they noted, “The more the trades, the better your chances to win! Offering prizes of 100,000 AED during the months of May and June 2025.

Users will be able to trade crypto assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, Ripple and others.

According to Liv Bank they have simplified the crypto trading process. There are no seed phrases or downloading digital wallets, all users need to to is use the Liv app, As they note, “With Liv, you can begin with small denominations, learning and growing as you go through guided modules that are designed to help you make informed decisions.”

All users have to do is sign up or log in to the Liv X app, Click on the Wealth tab then simply click Apply on the Crypto tile, and fill out the requested details, and submit. Then users can start accessing all their crypto investments.

In March 2025, Liv digital bank a part of Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye (MENAT) region, announced the launch of their cryptocurrency offering within its mobile banking app – Liv X allowing users to buy sell custody and trade cryptocurrencies in partnership with Aquanow, a UAE regulated crypto asset exchange and Zodia Custody also regulated in the UAE.

At the time Liv digital bank noted that it was committed to introducing innovative products to its customers and this new cryptocurrency offering, with crypto infrastructure operated by Aquanow and custody services performed by Zodia Custody.

UAE Digital Bank implements Infosys Finacle on Microsoft Azure to integrate TradFi and DeFi

UAE Digital Bank implements Infosys Finacle on Microsoft Azure to integrate TradFi and DeFi

Infosys an Indian multinational technology company that offers business consulting, information technology, and outsourcing services, utilizing its Finacle product offering on Microsoft Azure has provided the first digital bank in UAE (they did not name the bank), which could be Liv Bank, a subsidiary of Emirates NBD, given it has publicized itself as being the first digital bank in the UAE, with Finacle on Cloud, a cloud-native solution that accelerates cloud adoption which works to toward digital banking, integrate decentralized finance (DeFi) into their operations.

As per a Microsoft blog post, the first licensed digital bank in the UAE, aimed to tap into the power of advanced data capabilities to simplify and upgrade the customer experience and provide secure, reliable, and innovative solutions through blockchain and AI technologies. After evaluating various technology platforms, looking for capabilities that would help them successfully integrate traditional finance (TradFi) and DeFi. Their ultimate goal being to redefine the banking landscape by streamlining financial services and integrating AI and blockchain technologies into their operations. To accomplish this, they were seeking a composable architectural design and event-driven API on a cloud-native platform that offered agility and security.

The blog adds, ” Ultimately, after comparing many solutions, they decided they wanted to go beyond the traditionally defined core systems so many financial institutions rely on, and they instead adopted Finacle on Microsoft Azure, thanks to its functional richness, market-specific experience, long-term viability, operational performance, total cost of ownership (TCO), and flexibility.”

“A customer-centric revolution is reshaping corporate banking,” said Sriranga N. Sampathkumar, VP and GM – Middle East and Africa, at Infosys. “This bank is spearheading this change with AI, actively shaping the future of banking through innovation and the strategic integration of digital assets.”


Sampathkumar explained, “The bank’s swift evolution from a digital to an AI-driven bank was made possible by the seamless deployment of the Finacle on Azure.”

Using Finacle the bank can process a vast amount of data and perform sophisticated analytics—all resulting in the ability to innovate and integrate emergent technologies like AI, blockchain, and digital asset management and sit at the forefront of the digital banking evolution.

They also report that Microsoft Azure has been a crucial part of their solution; choosing Azure has reportedly provided them with a high-performing, scalable, and secure foundation upon which to build the bank of the future. The bank has active connectivity and immediate recovery from one site to another, due to the cloud footprint offered by Azure, including Microsoft datacenters in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

“By using the combined strength of Finacle’s innovative solution suite and Microsoft Azure’s robust cloud platform, this digital bank delivers a distinct, world-class experience, showcasing the essential agility, flexibility, and resilience needed to transform banking,” Sampathkumar said.

This comes as the UAE Bank Federation showcases how UAE banks are moving into the smart banking era with AI and Blockchain technologies among others.

Emirates NBD Digital bank explores tokenization of real world assets

Emirates NBD Digital bank explores tokenization of real world assets

Emirates NBD the creator of Liv, UAE’s first digital bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ctrl Alt, B2B alternative asset solutions provider, to explore infrastructure solutions related to tokenization of real-world assets. The MoU was signed at the Dubai FinTech Summit by Marwan Hadi, Group Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD and Matt Ong, Founder and CEO, Ctrl Alt.

As per the press release,digital Assets represent a trillion-dollar asset class and the opportunities for future innovation and market opportunities within it are considerable. Liv is enthusiastic about championing the next generation of investors and is collaborating with Ctrl Alt to ensure they remain at the forefront in offering diversified and sought-after products. With the support of Ctrl Alt’s infrastructure, Liv aims to explore avenues to grant their customers access to the burgeoning tokenized asset sector.

Several surveys have indicated changing investment patterns amongst millennials and Gen Z. A report on Middle East Investment Trends by Lombard Odier indicated that younger investors hold strong, positive long-term investment convictions. Additionally, 60% also expressed a strong preference for private market assets, including private equity, private debt, real estate and infrastructure. Further, Gen Z are investing at a higher rate and earlier age than previous generations. According to an Oliver Wyman Forum survey, almost half of Gen Zers invest in the stock market and they are 45% more likely to start investing by age 21 than millennials and two to four times more likely than Gen X and baby boomers.

Marwan Hadi, Group Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD, said: “Liv is the first bank in the UAE to explore offering tokenised real-world asset investing opportunities to customers, and we are delighted to co-partner with a leading infrastructure provider such as Ctrl Alt for this initiative. As the innovation incubator in Emirates NBD Group, Liv has always remained at the forefront of digital innovation, seeking to collaborate with partners to explore and experiment with technologies that are in demand globally and in the UAE.”

He added: “According to a report by the Boston Consulting Group, asset tokenization will expand into a USD16.1 trillion business opportunity by 2030. Coupled with the growing demand for alternative investment avenues from millennials and the next generation of investors, this represents an opportunity for us to explore the potential of this domain, aligning with our vision to be the most innovative bank for our customers, people and communities.”

Pedro Sousa Cardoso, Chief Digital Officer, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates NBD, said, “Tokenization is considered the future of financial markets, offering benefits such as lower costs and reduced settlement times. As pioneers in technology adoption in the region, we are actively exploring the tokenization space to maintain our competitive edge against more agile fintech companies. Our exploration of solutions related to tokenized real-world assets further builds on Liv’s aspiration to serve our Gen Now customers by providing a range of innovative and in-demand products to meet their financial needs.”

Matt Ong, Founder and CEO, Ctrl Alt, added, “At Ctrl Alt, we are passionate about providing accessible infrastructure solutions to the thriving tokenized asset sector from Digital SPVs to Fund Structuring.

We are really excited to be partnering with Liv who are paving the way for tokenized real-world asset investing. Liv truly represents the future of banking with its clear customer-centric focus on innovation and is waving the flag for the next generation of investors who are demanding diversification. We are excited about the opportunity that this partnership will bring to their customers and cannot wait for what is to come.”