Binance deepens UAE crypto access

Binance has launched regulated dirham bank transfers for users in the UAE, giving customers a local-currency route to buy and sell selected stablecoins through a framework designed to strengthen protection for client funds.

The service allows eligible users to transfer UAE dirhams through a regulated financial channel and convert funds into USDT and USDC, reducing reliance on dollar-linked payment routes, card transactions and informal transfer methods. Transactions are processed in AED, removing foreign exchange conversion at the entry point and offering users a clearer link between their bank accounts and digital-asset activity.

The new transfer option operates through Roma, a VARA-licensed provider that offers fiat-to-virtual-asset conversion and bank transfer services. Users initiate the process through Binance, select AED as the payment currency and use bank transfer to complete purchases or withdrawals. Once funds are received by the regulated provider, the corresponding stablecoin balance is credited to the user’s Binance account, while withdrawals allow users to convert supported stablecoins back into dirhams.

The launch marks another step in Binance’s efforts to build locally regulated services in the UAE after its Dubai entity secured a Virtual Asset Service Provider licence from the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. The licence allows Binance FZE to offer services to retail, qualified and institutional clients under Dubai’s virtual-asset rulebook, including exchange, broker-dealer, lending and borrowing, and virtual-asset management and investment services.

The Client Money Account framework is central to the new arrangement. It is intended to keep client funds subject to regulated controls, with segregation and oversight designed to reduce risks linked to commingling, operational failures and opaque fund handling. For users, the practical appeal lies in a more direct banking route, same-business-day processing in many cases and fewer intermediaries between conventional bank accounts and crypto platforms.

UAE authorities have sought to combine market access with tighter supervision as digital-asset adoption expands across the country. Dubai’s VARA regulates virtual-asset activity across the emirate outside the Dubai International Financial Centre, while Abu Dhabi Global Market and the Dubai International Financial Centre maintain their own frameworks through separate financial regulators. The Central Bank of the UAE has also advanced rules for payment tokens and stablecoin-related services, reflecting the wider push to bring crypto-linked payments into supervised channels.

For Binance, the AED transfer service strengthens its local proposition at a time when competition among regulated crypto platforms is increasing. Banks, exchanges, custodians and fintech providers are racing to offer compliant fiat rails as users demand faster ways to move between bank deposits and digital assets. RAKBANK has already moved into crypto brokerage through a regulated partner, while other UAE-based providers have expanded custody, trading and stablecoin infrastructure.

Stablecoins remain the main bridge between fiat money and crypto markets. USDT and USDC are widely used by traders seeking dollar-linked liquidity, but local-currency access has often been limited by banking restrictions, processing delays and compliance checks. A regulated AED channel may make crypto transactions more accessible for UAE users who want to avoid routing funds through foreign currencies before entering the market.

The timing also reflects Binance’s broader effort to rebuild regulatory credibility after intense scrutiny in major markets. The exchange has made licensing and compliance a central part of its international strategy, with the UAE emerging as one of its most important regulated hubs. Its local platform gives Binance a clearer operational base in a jurisdiction that has positioned itself as a digital-asset centre while imposing formal requirements on licensing, governance, anti-money laundering controls and client protection.

Risks remain for users. Stablecoins are not bank deposits, virtual assets can face market, operational and regulatory disruptions, and client money safeguards do not remove all exposure to technology failures, fraud or liquidity stress. Regulators have repeatedly emphasised that crypto investors should understand product risks before placing funds into digital assets, even when services operate through licensed entities.

Arabian Post – Crypto News Network