CoinMENA FZE has signed a banking agreement with Standard Chartered to strengthen its fiat payment infrastructure, giving the VARA-licensed broker-dealer faster funding and more efficient settlement for its UAE customer base.
The partnership centres on customer money account services and fiat payment rails, with Standard Chartered supporting CoinMENA’s fiat on- and off-ramp flows.
The setup pairs safeguarded client money accounts with high-speed settlement rails and virtual account-based transaction management, giving CoinMENA more scalable operations, stronger liquidity settlement with approved global counterparties, and greater transaction transparency across its regulated infrastructure.
The deal fits a broader pattern across the UAE’s digital asset sector: exchanges are increasingly anchoring their fiat operations to major global banks rather than relying solely on non-bank payment providers.
For VARA-licensed platforms like CoinMENA, a relationship with an international bank such as Standard Chartered adds settlement reliability and compliance depth that’s hard to replicate elsewhere — both of which matter as institutional money moves further into the region’s crypto market.
“The UAE has established itself as one of the world’s leading regulatory environments for digital assets, creating opportunities for regulated firms and established financial institutions to work together,” said Rola Abu Manneh, CEO for UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered.
CoinMENA co-founders Dina Sam’an and Talal Tabbaa framed the partnership as part of a wider shift in how regulated crypto platforms operate. “As digital assets mature globally, the institutions shaping finance must bridge innovation with trust at scale,” they said in a joint statement.
“This reflects a regional shift where regulated platforms are joining mainstream financial infrastructure rather than operating alongside it. We believe the industry’s future depends on strong banking, regulatory, and operational foundations, not just technology.”
By
Sam Reid
