Breaking: DDSC and Network International Launch UAE’s First In-Store Stablecoin Payment Pilot

Summary

• DDSC and Network International launched the UAE’s first retail pilot enabling AED-backed stablecoin payments through point-of-sale terminals at selected stores.
• Merchants can receive DDSC or UAE dirhams as customers complete purchases using supported wallets and QR-based checkout systems.
• Network plans to widen DDSC acceptance while retail leaders expect regulated stablecoins to simplify payments across established merchant networks and UAE operations.

DDSC and Network International have launched the UAE’s first in-store pilot, allowing customers to pay with an AED-backed stablecoin. According to an official statement shared with 36crypto, customers can spend DDSC through Network International’s point-of-sale infrastructure at participating stores.

Partners tested the service at Marks & Spencer in Dubai Festival City and LuLu Hypermarket at Khalidiyah Mall in Abu Dhabi. Customers with supported wallets can scan a QR code, approve the payment, and receive confirmation through Network International’s existing acceptance system. DDSC Pay signage identifies participating stores, while the familiar QR-based process reduces changes to the established retail checkout experience.

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Merchants Gain Flexible Settlement Options

Participating retailers can receive transaction settlements in DDSC or UAE dirhams, depending on their commercial arrangements with Network International. Merchants selecting DDSC can receive funds through supported wallets, while businesses preferring conventional currency can arrange settlement directly in UAE dirhams.

This flexibility allows retailers to test regulated stablecoin payments without completely restructuring their accounting, payment, and treasury management systems. Moreover, Network International plans to expand DDSC acceptance across its UAE merchant network once the partners complete the pilot testing.

DDSC maintains a one-to-one peg with the UAE dirham and processes settlements through ADI Chain as a regulated payment instrument. IHC, First Abu Dhabi Bank, and Sirius International Holding collaborated to develop DDSC for practical digital payments within the UAE. The statement identifies DDSC as the first fully CBUAE-licensed stablecoin backed by the UAE dirham for regulated domestic transactions.

Retail Leaders Address Wider Adoption

Network International CEO Murat Cagri Suzer called the programme “an important milestone” within the development of payments across the UAE. He added that DDSC could reduce “the cost and complexity of money movement” while giving merchants control over transaction settlement.

LuLu Retail CEO Saifee Rupawala linked the pilot with technology’s role in improving customer experiences and supporting the UAE’s digital economy. Meanwhile, Al-Futtaim executive Eric Shehadeh emphasized the operational scale required to transform stablecoin trials into widely available retail payment services.

Al-Futtaim processes tens of millions of customer payments annually across more than 200 brands, providing considerable experience with consumer adoption.

Shehadeh described dirham-backed stablecoin acceptance across that commercial footprint as a practical way of moving innovation “from pilot to everyday.” Ultimately, the in-store pilot will help Network International assess DDSC transactions before expanding acceptance throughout its wider UAE merchant network.

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