The Universal Digital Intl Limited stablecoin, USDU, USD backed stablecoin, the first foreign payment token regulated by the Abu Dhabi Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) in ADGM, has now gone live on global crypto exchange Crypto.com.
As per Universal, the issuer of USDU, this is part of their expansion, allowing access to its regulated USD settlement stablecoin across digital asset markets. When launched, the issuers noted that beyond the UAE, USDU was built to connect with international digital asset markets, enabling institutions to move regulated digital value across global platforms where permitted by local regulation.
Universal, in a LinkedIn post, noted, “This listing marks a meaningful step toward strengthening institutional confidence and advancing trusted, scalable infrastructure for digital asset markets globally.”
In January 2026, Universal issued regulated USDU, both a fiat reference token that can cater to professional clients, as well as a foreign payment token issuer with the Central Bank of the UAE.
The fully USD-backed stablecoin USDU, the registered foreign payment token, can be used for domestic payment for digital assets and digital asset derivatives. Of course, USDU cannot be used for UAE domestic payments as the UAE Central Bank only considers AED-backed stablecoins as legal currencies.
Unlike Circle’s USDC, which has been accepted in ADGM and is used only as a fiat reference token that professional clients can utilize, the USDU is open for the general public across the UAE. This was something that Tether had been seeking to do since it applied for a license two years ago.
Under the UAE Central Bank PTSR, payments for digital assets and digital-asset derivatives in the UAE may only be conducted in fiat or a Registered Foreign Payment Token, making the availability of a registered token essential for compliant operations.
