Dubai Duty Free Launches Crypto.com Pay at DXB and AMIA

Dubai Duty Free has officially activated Crypto.com Pay across Dubai International Airport (DXB), Al Maktoum International Airport (AMIA) and its e-commerce site, making it the first airport retailer in the Middle East to offer a regulated digital payment solution. The service is available exclusively to eligible UAE residents, and the retailer receives settlement in UAE dirhams.

The launch follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Crypto.com in July 2025, under which the two companies agreed to explore blockchain-enabled payments. In practice, shoppers at Dubai Duty Free can select Crypto.com Pay at checkout, which generates a unique QR code for the purchase amount in AED. The customer scans it with the Crypto.com App, approves payment from their wallet, and the transaction is confirmed through the retailer's existing point-of-sale system. Online, the same QR-based flow runs before the order is completed.

For Dubai Duty Free, the cryptocurrency leg is invisible: authorisation happens in the customer's wallet, while the merchant is settled in dirhams. The retailer reported record 2025 sales of Dhs8.680bn ($2.378bn), up 9.85% year on year, underscoring the scale of its operations as one of the world's largest single-airport duty free businesses.

Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, said the rollout marks the move into the implementation phase of the strategic partnership and reinforces the retailer's commitment to innovative digital payment options. Eric Anziani, President and COO of Crypto.com, highlighted that customers get a secure and seamless payment experience while merchants receive immediate settlement in AED.

The rollout was made possible by Crypto.com's regulatory status in the UAE. The company is the first Virtual Asset Service Provider in the country to hold a Stored Value Facilities licence from the Central Bank of the UAE. Its local entity, Foris DAX Middle East, secured the licence in May 2026.

Dubai Duty Free is the second flagship UAE brand to switch on Crypto.com Pay within a fortnight. Emirates launched the payment option on 28 July 2026 under similar terms, limited to UAE residents and with AED-denominated bookings, following its own MoU signed on 9 July 2025. Both initiatives align with Dubai's Cashless Strategy, launched in October 2024, which targets 90% of public and private sector transactions being cashless by the end of 2026.