Network International has launched an in-store pilot in the UAE for payments using an AED-backed stablecoin.

The pilot runs through Network’s partnership with DDSC. Customers with supported wallets can pay at Network’s existing point-of-sale terminals at Marks & Spencer in Dubai Festival City and LuLu Hypermarket in Abu Dhabi.

DDSC is a dirham-backed stablecoin licensed by the UAE central bank under the Payment Token Services Regulation.

Paying with DDSC follows the QR-based flow familiar to UAE shoppers. The terminal displays a QR code, which the customer scans using a supported wallet.

The merchant then receives confirmation through Network’s existing infrastructure.

Merchants can settle in DDSC or dirhams, depending on the arrangement agreed with Network.

The company plans to expand acceptance across its UAE network once testing concludes.

DDSC is pegged 1 to 1 with the dirham. It settles on ADI Chain, a layer-2 blockchain built by Abu Dhabi’s ADI Foundation.

International Holding Company, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Sirius International Holding developed the token.

The central bank approved it for launch in February 2026.

“We are proud to be one of the building blocks of this important milestone in the evolution of payments in the UAE. Network International merchants will be able to accept payments in DDSC and have the flexibility to settle in stablecoin,”

said Murat Cagri Suzer, Group CEO of Network International.

“By enabling DDSC, a dirham-backed stablecoin, to work through established payment infrastructure, we are turning the promise of digital currencies into a practical reality for businesses and consumers,”

said Ajay Hans Raj Bhatia, CEO of Sirius International Holding.

The pilot lets merchants accept a regulated stablecoin without changing checkout hardware. It runs on Network’s existing infrastructure.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News UAE, based on image by Network International via its Press Release.