Network International has begun an in-store pilot allowing shoppers in the UAE to pay using DDSC, a dirham-backed stablecoin, without merchants needing to change any checkout hardware.
The pilot runs through Network International's partnership with DDSC and is currently live at two locations: Marks & Spencer in Dubai Festival City and LuLu Hypermarket in Abu Dhabi. Customers with a supported wallet can complete purchases at Network's existing point-of-sale terminals.
How the payment works
At checkout, the terminal displays a QR code. The customer scans it with a supported wallet to complete the transaction, and the merchant receives confirmation through Network's existing infrastructure. Depending on their arrangement with Network, merchants can choose to settle in DDSC itself or in dirhams.
That flexibility is central to the pitch: businesses can start accepting a regulated stablecoin while keeping the payment terminals and back-office processes they already use.
What DDSC is
DDSC is pegged one to one with the dirham and is licensed by the UAE central bank under the Payment Token Services Regulation. It settles on ADI Chain, a layer-2 blockchain built by Abu Dhabi's ADI Foundation. The stablecoin was developed by International Holding Company, First Abu Dhabi Bank, and Sirius International Holding.
Ajay Hans Raj Bhatia, CEO of Sirius International Holding, said: "We are proud to be one of the building blocks of this important milestone in the evolution of payments in the UAE. Network International merchants will be able to accept payments in DDSC and have the flexibility to settle in stablecoin."
He added: "By enabling DDSC, a dirham-backed stablecoin, to work through established payment infrastructure, we are turning the promise of digital currencies into a practical reality for businesses and consumers."
Why it matters for UAE merchants
For retailers, the appeal is that adopting a regulated stablecoin does not require new terminals or a separate checkout process — the QR flow sits on top of infrastructure Network International already operates across the UAE.
Network International has said that once testing concludes, it plans to expand DDSC acceptance across its wider UAE merchant network, extending stablecoin payments beyond the two current pilot sites.
For now, the test remains limited to Marks & Spencer's Dubai Festival City branch and the LuLu Hypermarket in Abu Dhabi, giving Network International and DDSC's backers a live setting to assess how shoppers and merchants respond before any broader rollout.
Reported by Fintech News UAE.
