Catenaa, Friday, February 20, 2026-The Dirham-backed stablecoin DDSC went live last week on ADI Chain, receiving approval and a license from the UAE Central Bank, marking a milestone for regulated blockchain infrastructure in the region.
The United Arab Emirates based initiative is led by International Holding Company (IHC) and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), with Sirius International Holding supporting deployment.
DDSC is fully backed 1:1 by UAE Dirham reserves, while FAB provides custody services and leverages its banking infrastructure across four million customers in 20 markets.
ADI Chain, an institutional Layer 2 blockchain, hosts DDSC on compliance-ready infrastructure built for national-scale settlement. The network combines regulatory alignment, zero-knowledge proof technology, and secure architecture audited by OpenZeppelin to ensure safe and efficient operations.
The launch positions ADI Chain as a framework for sovereign stablecoins, offering instant settlement, 24/7 availability, and transparent transaction rails.
The infrastructure supports potential interoperable expansion to other GCC currencies, Africa via M-Pesa, and cross-border settlement across MENA, Asia, and Africa.
$ADI, the network’s utility token, powers all smart contract executions, dApp interactions, and value transfers on ADI Chain. DDSC transactions rely on $ADI for processing underlying blockchain operations, creating a unified settlement layer for institutions and enterprises.
ADI Foundation, the non-profit overseeing the network, said the launch demonstrates that compliance and public blockchain infrastructure can coexist, supporting regulated financial activity at scale.
The organization has secured memorandums of understanding with global firms including BlackRock, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton for tokenized asset settlement and digital payment rails.
