Zand to support USDC Zand Dirham transactions in UAE

Zand, an AI and blockchain-powered digital bank in the UAE is now supporting USDC, issued by regulated entities of Circle Internet Group, in an effort to support stablecoin use cases including payments, settlement, treasury operations, trading, and cross border transactions.

As per the announcement, this will help enable eligible business to leverage both the Zand AED stablecoins and USDC within regulated frameworks to help move value.

The Zand Dirham launched in November 2025, is the UAE’s first fully regulated multi-chain Dirham-backed stablecoin on public blockchains, and is fully backed 1:1 by Dirham reserves.

Zand CEO Michael Chan said, “We built the Zand Dirham stablecoin to tear down the walls between global markets, making cross-border payments feel instant, invisible, and effortless. We’re not just upgrading payments; we’re reconnecting the world’s money in real-time, so value moves as fast as an idea. But this is bigger than technology. This is about bringing the UAE’s digital economy vision to life – standing with our leadership to prove that this nation isn’t just keeping pace, but setting the pace.”

Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey, Africa and Pakistan, Circle, also noted that interoperability between regulated stablecoins can help support new opportunities for business operating globally.

According to published industry forecasts, the stablecoin market may exceed $1 trillion in 2026, driven by increased adoption for transactions, the expansion of decentralized finance, and rising institutional interest.

In July 2026, Changer.ae Limited (“Changer”), a UAE regulated virtual asset custodiansigned a Memorandum of Understanding with Tether , a global digital asset company and the issuer of USD₮, to explore opportunities to support regulated crypto transactions using USD₮.