Emirates has announced its formal signing at the Group Headquarters in Dubai, that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global crypto platform Crypto.com. The agreement signed in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Group Chairman and CEO, will enable customers to pay for flights, duty-free items, and other travel services using cryptocurrencies by late 2025.
The deal also includes Dubai Duty Free, signalling a coordinated rollout of Crypto.com Pay across Emirates’ booking platforms and retail operations. The announcement was made public through official press releases, media coverage, and a widely shared tweet by Cointelegraph, which called the partnership a major step forward for crypto adoption in travel.
“We are always looking for new ways to offer convenience and choice to our customers,” said Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates. “This partnership is in line with Dubai’s digital economy strategy and caters to younger, more tech-savvy travellers.”
Crypto.com’s President and COO, Eric Anziani, called the move “a pivotal moment for the global adoption of crypto in everyday commerce.” The company’s payment solution allows for real-time crypto payments with immediate fiat settlement for merchants, making it well-suited for large enterprises like Emirates.
The reaction online has been swift. Cointelegraph’s post on X (formerly Twitter) attracted thousands of impressions, with users calling it a “milestone for real-world use cases” and “proof that crypto payments are scaling beyond hype.”
The deal comes at a time when Dubai is pushing aggressively towards becoming a cashless economy under its D33 agenda. The city already hosts over 650 licensed Web3 and digital asset firms, with oversight from the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).
About Crypto.com
Founded in 2016, Crypto.com serves over 100 million users globally and operates one of the industry’s most widely integrated payment platforms.The company offers a full suite of crypto products and services, including a digital asset exchange, DeFi tools, crypto wallets, and its flagship Crypto.com Pay,a payment gateway that allows merchants to accept cryptocurrency and receive instant fiat settlement.
Crypto.com is also known for its regulatory-first approach, holding licenses in major jurisdictions including the UAE, Singapore, South Korea, and several European markets.
About Emirates
Emirates is the flagship carrier of the UAE, known for its premium service, innovation, and global reach. This integration marks a major milestone in its digital transformation strategy.
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