Emirates & Crypto.com Strike Landmark Deal: Airlines Embrace Crypto Payments in 2025

Dubai's flagship carrier just joined the crypto revolution—and traditional payment rails should be nervous.

Sky-high adoption

Emirates inked a Memorandum of Understanding with Crypto.com that'll see the airline integrate cryptocurrency payments. No more fumbling with currency conversions when booking that business class upgrade.

Why this matters

The move signals mainstream travel's accelerating crypto embrace—though let's see how many actually spend their Bitcoin on $20,000 first-class tickets before calling it a 'mass adoption' win. (Spoiler: most will still hodl.)

One small step for Emirates, one giant leap for crypto's real-world utility. Now if only they'd accept memecoins for lounge access...

Dubai Duty Free signs MoU to integrate crypto payments in transport

Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, said the Emirates sees crypto payments as the future of retail and travel commerce. 

“This MoU underscores our commitment to innovation and to providing greater convenience and choice for our customers,” he stated. “Dubai Duty Free wants to enhance the retail experience. Embracing digital currency payments is a forward-looking step that will add significant value for our diverse customer base and support our vision for sustained growth.”

Eric Anziani, President and COO of Crypto․com, called the partnership with Emirates and Dubai Duty Free a “boost to the everyday crypto use in the region.” 

“Integration with exceptional partners such as Dubai Duty Free brings real momentum to the digital asset industry,” Anziani surmised, adding, “It enables both companies to offer innovative finance solutions and supports Dubai’s broader vision for digital leadership.”

Alain Yacine, President of Crypto․com Middle East, also lauded the new memorandum. “Signing an MoU with Dubai Duty Free will provide us a platform to achieve this with an exceptional partner in the region.”

Dubai pushes more industries to adopt crypto

Crypto․com’s agreement with Emirates is part of the UAE’s government plan to encourage local institutions to integrate blockchain and digital assets into public and private sector operations. 

Just days before the Emirates deal, the Dubai Land Department announced a separate MoU with Crypto․com to develop a blockchain-based ecosystem for VIRTUAL real estate investment.

The Dubai Land Department’s partnership with Crypto․com, signed on July 6, to facilitate the buying, selling, and tokenization of real estate using crypto. The initiative falls under Dubai’s Real Estate Strategy 2033, which targets Dh1 trillion in real estate transactions under blockchain and tokenized asset technologies.

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) recently approved the QCD Money Market Fund (QCDT), the first tokenized money market fund in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The project is being developed in collaboration with Qatar National Bank (QNB) and DMZ Finance.

Elsewhere in Dubai’s real estate sector, PRYPCO Mint, a joint initiative between the Dubai Land Department and PRYPCO, completed two tokenized property listings under a regulatory framework designed by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), the Central Bank of the UAE, and the Dubai Future Foundation. 

TON residency under regulatory turmoil

Despite the institutional adoption of crypto in the UAE, regulators have also barred some private initiatives that overstate the legal recognition of digital assets. 

Over the weekend, The Open Network (TON), a blockchain network originally developed by Telegram, announced a program offering 10-year UAE golden visas in exchange for a three-year stake of $100,000 worth of Toncoin, along with a one-time processing fee of $35,000.

The offer claimed that applicants could retain control of their staked assets via smart contracts on the TON blockchain and WOULD receive an annual yield of 3% to 4%. TON also stated that the visa process would be completed in under seven weeks with the help of UAE-based partners.

However, the Emirates News Agency later issued a statement refuting TON’s claims. According to a joint clarification from the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, the Securities and Commodities Authority, and VARA, digital asset holdings do not qualify for UAE golden visa eligibility.

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