ADNOC Distribution adopts AE Coin payments across its Retail Network, supporting the UAE’s digital transformation

A strategic Memorandum of Understanding has been announced to enable AE Coin digital payments across ADNOC Distribution’s extensive retail network in the UAE. By adopting the country’s first-of-its-kind stablecoin, ADNOC Distribution becomes the first fuel and convenience retailer in the UAE to offer customers the ability to pay using AE Coin. This milestone initiative is being implemented in collaboration with Al Maryah Community Bank.

AE Coin, the UAE’s first Central Bank-licensed and AED-backed virtual asset, will be integrated into ADNOC Distribution’s payment channels across its key customer touchpoints, including fuel and service stations, Oasis by ADNOC convenience stores, and car washes.

The agreement was signed during Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW) and supports the UAE’s ambition to advance secure and regulated digital-payment solutions. It also reinforces ADNOC Distribution’s commitment to offering customers greater choice in how they transact.

A strategic step in the future of payments

Under the agreement, ADNOC Distribution will integrate AE Coin through the AEC Wallet by Al Maryah Community Bank into its payment infrastructure, allowing customers to perform instant, secure, and frictionless blockchain-powered transactions. This represents an early, regulated application of digital token payments within the mobility and convenience retail sector and demonstrates how next-generation payment technologies can be responsibly introduced on a national scale.

Eng. Bader Saeed Al Lamki, CEO of ADNOC Distribution, said: “Accepting AE Coin across our network represents a significant step in ADNOC Distribution’s journey to enhance mobility and convenience retail through innovation. By embracing blockchain-powered transactions, we are adopting advanced technologies to create the industry's best customer experiences, while preparing our services for the future. We take pride in our role supporting the UAE’s vision to become a global leader in secure digital payments”.

Mohammed Wassim Khayata, CEO of Al Maryah Community Bank, stated: “This partnership marks a historic moment for the UAE’s financial and retail sectors. By enabling virtual asset payments across the ADNOC Distribution network, we are bringing the future of digital transactions to millions of consumers. This is a real-world example of how secure, regulated blockchain technology can simplify payments, enhance customer convenience, and accelerate the UAE’s digital transformation journey”.

Ramez Rafeek, General Manager of AED Stablecoin LLC, added: “AE Coin was developed to make secure, instant, regulator-approved virtual asset payments a reality in daily life. ADNOC Distribution’s nationwide adoption of AE Coin represents a major milestone for the UAE and sets an important benchmark for the virtual asset industry globally. This partnership shows how licensed and fully reserved payment tokens can be used in mainstream retail environments, moving the promise of crypto from concept to real-world utility at scale.”

Supporting the UAE’s digital economy ambitions

The MoU supports key national strategies and initiatives, including:

The UAE Digital Economy Strategy.

The country’s ambition to lead global virtual-asset and blockchain innovation.

The advancement of secure, regulated digital-payment ecosystems.

Increased efficiency and transparency in both public- and private-sector transactions.

By integrating virtual asset payments into one of the most widely used retail networks in the country, this collaboration contributes to the country’s digital-economy growth and reinforces its role as a hub for future-ready financial technologies.