Emirates now accepts Crypto.com Pay for flight bookings by eligible UAE residents. The service runs through a licensed Dubai entity, with transactions priced in dirhams. No expansion timeline has been set.
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Emirates has activated cryptocurrency payments on its website and mobile app. Eligible UAE residents can now book flights using Crypto.com Pay, with all transactions priced in Emirati dirhams.
The service went live less than a year after the partnership was signed in July 2025, Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ chief commercial officer, said. He credited both companies' teams and the UAE's regulatory environment for the speed of the rollout. The payment runs through Crypto.com's Dubai entity, keeping every transaction inside UAE regulatory rails.
For now, only UAE residents can use the feature. International customers are excluded, and the airline hasn't given a timeline for expanding the scope.
The checkout flow differs by device. Mobile users who book through the Emirates App get redirected to the Crypto.com app mid-booking, approve the payment from their wallet, then return to the Emirates App for ticket confirmation. Desktop users scan a QR code at checkout, approve in the Crypto.com app, and the booking is confirmed. The infrastructure leans on Crypto.com's wallet for authorization while Emirates handles ticketing.
Crypto.com's Dubai entity holds a Stored Value Facilities license from the Central Bank of the UAE, the first virtual asset service provider to get that recognition. That license makes the payment infrastructure compliant with local financial rules.
The tie-up fits into a bigger push. Dubai's Cashless Strategy, part of the D33 Economic Agenda, aims for 90% of transactions in the city to be digital. Crypto.com has also worked with Dubai Finance to bring digital payments to government services, making the airline deal part of a wider effort to embed crypto-compatible payments into daily life across the emirate.
Emirates has been flying since 1985 and covers more than 140 destinations. Adding a crypto payment layer is a meaningful signal for the travel industry. Crypto pay doesn't replace credit cards or other methods. It sits alongside them. Travelers who want to use digital assets can. Those who don't won't notice any difference.
For Crypto.com, landing Emirates is a notable win. Getting its payment infrastructure embedded in a major airline's checkout on both mobile and desktop is a different kind of visibility than a typical exchange listing or DeFi integration. The Stored Value Facilities license gives Crypto.com a regulatory foundation that few virtual asset providers can claim in the region.
Airlines accepting digital assets isn't new. A handful of smaller carriers and booking platforms have experimented with it. A carrier the size of Emirates doing it through a fully licensed, regulated entity is a different weight class. The compliance infrastructure is real, the regulatory backing is documented, and the checkout flow is live.
Whether the service expands beyond UAE residents depends on regulatory frameworks in other markets, currency settlement logistics, and customer demand, Kazim said. No specifics have been shared publicly.
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