Crypto.com Pay has gone live at Dubai Duty Free checkouts, marking the first deployment of the payment service by an airport retailer in the Middle East. The rollout follows a strategic memorandum of understanding signed between the two organizations in July 2025 and extends across physical terminals at both Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport, as well as the dubaidutyfree.com e-commerce platform.
The mechanics are straightforward. When a customer selects Crypto.com Pay at checkout, the system generates a unique QR code denominated in UAE Dirhams. The customer scans it through the Crypto.com App, authorizes the transaction from their wallet, and receives immediate confirmation through Dubai Duty Free’s existing point-of-sale infrastructure. Online shoppers at dubaidutyfree.com are redirected to the app for approval before returning to complete their order. Settlement lands in UAE Dirhams directly to Dubai Duty Free, removing currency conversion friction at the merchant level entirely.
The service is available to eligible UAE residents only and runs alongside existing payment options including Apple Pay, Alipay, and TerraPay.
The regulatory foundation matters here. Crypto.com holds a Stored Value Facilities license from the Central Bank of the UAE, making it the first Virtual Asset Service Provider in the country to receive that authorization. That licensing status is what enables the payment infrastructure to operate within conditions set by the Central Bank, and it is what distinguishes this rollout from earlier, less regulated digital asset payment experiments in the region.
Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, described the launch as the natural progression from last year’s agreement. “Following the strategic partnership established through last year’s MoU, we are pleased to move into the roll-out phase with the introduction of Crypto.com Pay,” Cidambi said. “This launch reinforces our commitment to providing customers with greater convenience through innovative digital payment solutions while supporting Dubai’s vision of becoming a global leader in digital commerce.”
Eric Anziani, President and Chief Operating Officer of Crypto.com, pointed to the scale of the operator as significant context for the deployment. “Dubai Duty Free is one of the world’s most recognised travel retail brands and one of the largest single airport duty free operators globally,” Anziani said. “Customers benefit from a secure and seamless payment experience through Crypto.com Pay, while merchants receive immediate settlement in UAE Dirhams.”
The technical integration was built to avoid disrupting established purchasing workflows. Customers do not exit the standard checkout process; the QR mechanism slots into existing point-of-sale and order management systems rather than requiring a parallel infrastructure.
By contrast with a standalone pilot, this is a full operational rollout across Dubai Duty Free’s entire retail footprint from day one. The ambition is consistent with the Dubai Cashless Strategy, a component of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which targets 90 percent of financial transactions across public and private sectors to become cashless by the end of 2026. Whether a payment option restricted to eligible UAE residents can move the needle meaningfully toward that target at a retail venue heavily trafficked by international visitors is a question the coming months of transaction data will begin to answer.