Ripple has opened a new regional headquarters for the Middle East and Africa inside the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the company confirmed Wednesday, creating capacity to double the size of its local operations as demand for regulated blockchain payment infrastructure across the region continues to grow.
The move marks a step up from Ripple’s existing Dubai presence, which dates back to 2020 when the company first established its MEA base in the emirate. Clients already operating through Ripple’s Middle East infrastructure include Zand Bank, Ctrl Alt, Garanti BBVA, Absa Bank, and Chipper Cash.
The Regulatory Foundation
The expansion is built on a regulatory record that Ripple has been assembling in the UAE for several years. In March 2025, the company became the first blockchain payments provider to receive full licensing from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), clearing the way for regulated cross-border digital payment services to be delivered directly from within the DIFC.
The DFSA also approved $RLUSD, Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin, as a recognized crypto token under the DIFC framework, allowing regulated firms operating in the financial centre to use it in their operations. That approval gave $RLUSD a formal regulatory footing in one of the Middle East’s most important financial jurisdictions.
What Both Sides Said
Reece Merrick, Ripple’s Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa, pointed to years of direct market experience as the basis for the decision. “From our earliest days in the UAE, we have seen first-hand the appetite from local businesses for regulated, blockchain-powered payment infrastructure, an appetite that is only growing,” he said.
He added that a larger team based in Dubai would allow the company to better support its clients and partners across the region and beyond.
His Excellency Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of the DIFC Authority, framed the move as evidence of Dubai’s standing as a global destination for serious digital asset firms. “Ripple has been a model for how digital asset firms can operate with both ambition and accountability, connecting institutions to the future of finance through regulated, scalable technology,” Amiri said.
Why It Matters
Ripple’s Dubai expansion arrives at a moment when the Middle East is emerging as one of the most active regions globally for blockchain-based financial infrastructure. Governments and financial institutions across the Gulf are moving faster than most Western counterparts on digital asset adoption, and Ripple’s decision to establish a larger permanent base reflects its confidence in the region’s long-term growth.
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