Share this article
USDC Issuer Circle Secures Abu Dhabi's ADGM License in Middle East Expansion
The license allows Circle to expand USDC payment and settlement tools across the United Arab Emirates.
Dec 9, 2025, 5:30 a.m.
What to know:
- Circle has obtained a Financial Services Permission license from Abu Dhabi Global Market, allowing it to operate as a Money Services Provider in the UAE.
- The stablecoin issuer has appointed Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, former manager at payments firm Visa.
- The approval comes as part of the UAE's emergence as a global hub for regulated digital assets, following similar licenses granted to Binance.
Circle (CRCL), the firm behind the $78 billion stablecoin , said on Tuesday it has secured a Financial Services Permission (FSP) license from Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), giving the company a formal foothold into the United Arab Emirates' regulated crypto ecosystem.
The license, issued by ADGM’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), allows Circle to operate as a Money Services Provider inside the financial free zone, following the preliminary approval in April.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Alongside the approval, the firm also appointed Dr. Saeeda Jaffar to lead operations in the Middle East and Africa region as managing director, joining from payments processing giant Visa, the company said.
The license opens the door for the company to offer its USDC stablecoin in business payments, settlements and other financial use cases across the UAE. The regulatory nod follows Circle’s recognition in Dubai earlier this year, where USDC and its euro-backed counterpart EURC became registered under the Dubai Financial Services Authority's crypto regime.
The UAE emerged as a key global hub for regulated digital assets businesses. Circle's approval comes only a day after crypto giant Binance obtaining licenses from Abu Dhabi’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority for exchange, clearing, and brokerage operations.
Stablecoins like USDC are increasingly becoming part of the global financial system as regulatory guardrails are being put in place for the fast-growing, $300 billion asset class. Their popularity is rising as tools for cross-border payments, particularly in regions where access to traditional banking infrastructure is limited or costly.
AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy.
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Pye Finance Raises $5M Seed Round Led by Variant and Coinbase Ventures
The platform aims to make locked Solana staking positions tradable via an onchain marketplace.
What to know:
- Pye Finance raised a $5 million seed round led by Variant and Coinbase Ventures, with participation from Solana Labs, Nascent and Gemini.
- The startup is building an onchain marketplace on Solana for time-locked staking positions that can be traded.
- Pye says the product targets Solana’s large pool of staked SOL, worth roughly $75 billion, and aims to give validators and stakers more flexibility over terms and reward flows.
Top Stories
