Emirates now accepts crypto for flight bookings via Crypto.com Pay, limited to UAE residents and AED transactions. The move supports Dubai's D33 cashless target.
Emirates has turned on a digital payment option that lets eligible UAE residents settle flight bookings with cryptocurrency through Crypto.com Pay. The feature is live on the airline's website and mobile app.
Only bookings priced and settled in Emirati dirhams qualify. Customers who hold a Crypto.com account can select the option at checkout. On the Emirates App, the system redirects to Crypto.com for wallet authorisation, then returns the user to confirm the booking. Desktop users scan a QR code with the Crypto.com app to approve payment.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates' Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, described the rollout as a response to shifting customer expectations. The initiative, he said, expands payment flexibility and aligns with habits of a younger, digitally oriented demographic that handles finances and travel planning largely through smartphones. He attributed the swift progress from agreement to launch to coordinated efforts by both teams and a regulatory setting that encourages such advances.
Eric Anziani, President and COO at Crypto.com, characterised the partnership as a significant step for the company's payment tool. The platform is straightforward to use and integrates smoothly, he said. The collaboration, he added, shows the UAE's progressive stance on innovation.
The technical foundation relies on Crypto.com's Dubai operation, which was the first virtual asset service provider to receive a Stored Value Facilities licence from the Central Bank of the UAE. That licence allows it to operate within the central bank's framework for stored value.
The introduction supports Dubai's Cashless Strategy under the D33 Economic Agenda, which targets shifting 90 percent of financial transactions in both government and private sectors to digital formats by the end of 2026. It builds on earlier Emirates cooperation with Dubai Finance and on Crypto.com's related work enabling digital payments for certain government services.
The option remains limited to the specified eligibility criteria for now, reflecting a measured approach that prioritises compliance and controlled rollout. The partnership was first outlined in a July 2025 memorandum of understanding between the two organisations.
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