UAE’s Emarat Fuels Crypto Adoption—Partners with Crypto.com for Bitcoin Payments at Gas Stations

Filling up your tank just got a Web3 upgrade. UAE state-owned fuel giant Emarat is rolling out Bitcoin and crypto payments—partnering with Crypto.com to turn gas stations into on-ramps for digital assets.

Because nothing says ’financial revolution’ like buying petrol with the same volatility that keeps hedge fund managers awake at night. The move signals another brick in the wall of institutional crypto acceptance—even as traditional finance still scrambles to regulate it.

No word yet on whether they’ll accept memecoins for a fill-up. But in the UAE’s aggressive crypto pivot, expect the unexpected.

UAE’s digital asset hub ambition

The UAE continues to advance as a global leader in digital asset regulation and infrastructure, pursuing its ambition to become the most crypto-friendly jurisdiction in the world.

With frameworks like the VIRTUAL Assets Regulatory Authority in Dubai and clear licensing structures in Abu Dhabi, the country has positioned itself as one of the world’s most progressive jurisdictions for digital finance.

The positioning has attracted some of the biggest players in the industry, including major CEXs like Binance, OKX, and Bybit, to secure regulatory licenses for their operations in the region.

By encouraging private-public partnerships and introducing pilot projects like this one, the UAE aims to solidify its role as a hub for Web3 innovation and fintech.

By enabling crypto payments at the pump, the UAE adds another use case to its expanding digital asset ecosystem, further establishing that digital assets are no longer confined to speculation but increasingly embedded in daily life.