Leading UAE Fuel Retailer to Accept Stablecoins Across 3 Countries
UAE’s Largest Fuel Retailer Will Accept Stablecoin in 980 Stations in Three Countries
ADNOC Distribution, the UAE’s largest fuel and convenience retailer, will begin accepting AE Coin stablecoin payments across its retail network of nearly 980 service stations spanning the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
The rollout is being implemented in partnership with Al Maryah Community Bank, which will enable customers to pay using AE Coin through the bank’s AEC Wallet. The company said the stablecoin will be integrated across key customer touchpoints, including fuel and service stations and Oasis by ADNOC convenience stores.
AE Coin is positioned as a regulated payments instrument rather than a speculative crypto asset. It is described as the UAE’s first Central Bank-licensed and AED-backed virtual asset, fully collateralized with dirhams and designed to function as a compliant, instantly transferable digital counterpart to traditional money.
The move matters because it expands stablecoin use into everyday, high-frequency retail transactions at scale. A large fuel and convenience network accepting a central bank-licensed, dirham-backed stablecoin signals a practical approach to digital asset payments that emphasizes regulatory oversight and settlement efficiency.
ADNOC Distribution’s footprint includes 562 stations in the UAE, 172 in Saudi Arabia, and 243 in Egypt, according to the information provided. The company has signed a memorandum of understanding to implement the payments capability across this network.
The development also follows broader domestic adoption efforts: two major state-backed UAE companies, ADNOC Distribution and e& (formerly Etisalat), have signed agreements to accept AE Coin for everyday payments.
