Zand & Ripple Shake Up UAE Payments: A Stablecoin Saga

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Zand, the UAE’s AI-powered digital bank with the charm of a calculator that thinks it’s witty, has brightened the calendar by announcing a new partnership with Ripple, the blockchain-based payments outfit that sounds like it should be filing tax returns from a yacht. The aim? To spread stablecoin-based financial services across the region-and yes, brace yourself for more acronyms than a conference-lanyard convention.

Meanwhile, the collaboration promises to tackle real-world digital payments and liquidity solutions using AEDZ and RLUSD stablecoins on a regulated blockchain backbone. It’s all very tidy and regulatory, like a grown-up playground with risk assessments and fancy diagrams.

Zand and Ripple Expand Partnership Around Stablecoins

On February 10, Zand and Ripple nudged their partnership a notch further, intent on conjuring fresh digital finance solutions powered by stablecoins and blockchain. The plan is to connect Zand’s UAE dirham-backed stablecoin (AEDZ) with Ripple’s US dollar-backed stablecoin (RLUSD). Think of it as a currency crossover episode in a not-terribly-dramatic soap opera.

The aim is to make cross-border payments faster, cheaper, and more transparent for businesses in the UAE and nearby regions-no magical wand required, just smart contracts and a bit of modern infrastructure.

As part of the plan, RLUSD will be supported on Zand’s regulated digital asset platform. Both firms are also exploring direct liquidity links between AEDZ and RLUSD to smooth the hop between AED and USD.

Zand and @Ripple, the leading provider of blockchain-based enterprise solutions across traditional and digital finance, are partnering to help advance and support the digital economy, with innovative solutions powered by the Zand AED (AEDZ) stablecoin and Ripple’s USD (RLUSD)…

– Zand (@Official_Zand) February 10, 2026

Zand is also aiming to issue AEDZ on the XRP Ledger, a blockchain known for speed and the occasional hasty keystroke when queues form.

Regulated Backing Behind AEDZ and RLUSD

Zand confirmed that AEDZ is fully backed 1:1 by UAE dirham reserves held in safe, regulated accounts. The stablecoin also undergoes smart contract audits and regular reserve checks, because apparently curiosity didn’t kill the cat in this market-audits did.

RLUSD is backed by US dollar deposits, short-term government bonds, and cash-like assets, with regular third-party reports to ensure transparency. In other words, it’s not just a nice idea with a catchy name; there are receipts.

This solid reserve-backed system is meant to build trust and encourage wider use by businesses and institutions, which is the sort of sentence that makes bankers nod approvingly while pretending to be relaxed.

UAE Digital Economy Gets Strong Support

Zand CEO Michael Chan stated that stablecoins, tokenization, and blockchain rails can reduce friction in financial systems as more services move on-chain. He noted the partnership supports broader use of trusted digital finance tools across government and business sectors-because what the UAE really needed was another way to show off technology during a press conference.

“We believe that leveraging stablecoins, blockchain technology, and tokenization can unlock powerful new use cases as traditional finance moves on-chain.”

Reece Merrick, Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa at Ripple, said, “Our expanded partnership with Zand underscores our commitment to the UAE’s pioneering digital economy.” It’s always nice when someone commits to something and then signs a press release to celebrate it.

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FAQs

What is the partnership between Zand and Ripple about?

Zand and Ripple are teaming up to expand stablecoin-based payments using AEDZ and RLUSD across regulated blockchain systems in the UAE.

What are AEDZ and RLUSD stablecoins?

AEDZ is a UAE dirham-backed stablecoin issued by Zand, while RLUSD is Ripple’s US dollar-backed stablecoin designed for secure, compliant payments.

How will this partnership improve cross-border payments?

By linking AEDZ and RLUSD, businesses can move money between AED and USD faster, with lower costs and better transparency than traditional rails.

Why is the XRP Ledger important for this initiative?

The XRP Ledger enables fast, low-cost, and secure transactions, making it suitable for issuing stablecoins like AEDZ at enterprise scale.

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2026-02-10 15:43