RAKBANK Shakes Up UAE Finance: Retail Customers Can Now Trade Crypto Directly

Dubai's banking landscape just got a crypto facelift.

RAKBANK—one of the UAE's most conservative financial institutions—just flipped the script by opening crypto trading to retail customers. No more offshore exchanges or OTC desks for Emirati investors.

The move comes as regional rivals like ADCB and Emirates NBD still treat digital assets like radioactive material. Meanwhile, RAKBANK's app now lets users swap dirhams for Bitcoin with fewer hoops than opening a savings account.

Bankers whisper this is either a genius pivot or a Hail Mary play for relevance. Either way, it's proof even traditional finance can't ignore the crypto wave forever—especially when compliance teams finally cash their checks.

RAKBANK, holding AED 88.3 billion in assets, has become the first conventional bank in the UAE to offer Bitcoin and cryptocurrency trading services to retail customers. This move marks a significant step in bringing digital assets into mainstream banking. By allowing everyday customers to trade crypto directly through its platform, RAKBANK is making digital currency more accessible and boosting the UAE’s position as a leader in fintech innovation.