Dubai Government Opens Door to Accepting Crypto for Service Fees

CoinDesk
CoinDesk
BNB+1.46%

Dubai agreed to allow cryptocurrency payments for government services in a deal with crypto exchange Crypto.com, taking a step toward implementing its plan for a cashless society.

Once technical details are complete, the agreement will allow individuals and businesses to pay fees using digital wallets from Crypto.com, which is licensed by the emirate's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). The platform will then convert the amounts into dirhams for payment, according to a Monday press release.

The agreement allows the government "to harness financial technology in launching a new digital payment channel on the government’s digital portals," it said in the release. The cashless strategy is expected to add at least 8 billion dirhams ($2.2 billion) annually to the economy.

Dubai has been building its crypto credentials for several years and sees itself as a Middle East crypto hub. In March 2022, it established VARA, calling it the world’s first independent crypto regulator, and has awarded licenses to exchanges including Binance and OKX. It also initiated a metaverse strategy aiming to attract 1,000 metaverse and blockchain companies by 2030.

Visit source
5.16K
0
The content on this page is provided by third parties. Unless otherwise stated, OKX is not the author of the cited article(s) and does not claim any copyright in the materials. The content is provided for informational purposes only and does not represent the views of OKX. It is not intended to be an endorsement of any kind and should not be considered investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell digital assets. To the extent generative AI is utilized to provide summaries or other information, such AI generated content may be inaccurate or inconsistent. Please read the linked article for more details and information. OKX is not responsible for content hosted on third party sites. Digital asset holdings, including stablecoins and NFTs, involve a high degree of risk and can fluctuate greatly. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital assets is suitable for you in light of your financial condition.