Digital Dirham may promote innovation and new services

How can the Digital Dirham strengthen the UAE’s position as a global leader in digital payments and commerce?

I see the Digital Dirham as a paramount part of the UAE’s wider digital economy. The country has already created strong foundations through initiatives such as Aani, Jaywan and the Dubai Cashless & AI Strategy. The Digital Dirham can build on this progress by bringing central bank money into digital commerce and supporting the continued development of the UAE’s payments ecosystem.

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More broadly, it creates further room for innovation across the market and the wider region. A clear and regulated environment for digital money can give banks, payment providers, merchants and other participants more scope to develop new services and payment acceptance options as the market develops.

The UAE has a clear policy direction, strong digital infrastructure and a proven record of public-private cooperation. Together, these strengths give the country a real opportunity to set a high standard for how the Digital Dirham can support commerce, economic growth and future of payments.

What new opportunities could the Digital Dirham create for merchants as the UAE’s digital economy continues to grow?

For merchants, the Digital Dirham could open the door to the next stage of digital commerce in the UAE. It will give customers more choice in how they pay and help businesses serve people who are increasingly comfortable using wallets and other digital payment methods. Its value will be strongest when it works across physical stores, online channels and mobile services, so merchants can offer the same reliable experience wherever a transaction takes place.

There is also a wider opportunity for businesses to take part in new forms of commerce built around regulated digital money while cutting out expensive middlemen and processing fees. Potential use cases include cross-border commerce and tokenised assets, subject to the CBUAE framework and implementation roadmap, creating new opportunities for merchants as the market develops.

The practical experience and convenience will still matter. For merchants, especially smaller businesses, acceptance should be as seamless as possible and, where feasible, integrated with the payment infrastructure they already use. That is also the principle behind Network’s own commercial approach, which aims to simplify acceptance across different payment methods through a familiar checkout and consistent reporting and settlement.

How do you see the Digital Dirham shaping the next phase of the UAE’s payments ecosystem, and the role merchants will play in that shift?

Merchants will be central because they connect payment infrastructure with the real economy. They are where consumers experience a payment method and decide whether it is useful, easy to understand and worth using again. Their perspective can also help shape how the Digital Dirham works across different sectors, from large retailers and online platforms to restaurants and smaller businesses.

If we look at the bigger picture, the UAE already has strong foundations across cards, digital wallets, instant payments and local schemes. The next phase is about building on that progress and creating new ways for people and businesses to transact within a trusted national payments system. The Digital Dirham can support that direction and help the market develop new services around regulated digital money.

Merchant input will play an important role as the ecosystem develops. Different businesses will bring different needs, customer journeys and operating models, and those insights will help shape practical use cases across the economy. This will enable to translate Digital Dirham from a strong national infrastructure into everyday value for businesses and consumers.

What will be most important in ensuring that banks, payment providers, merchants and technology platforms move forward together in supporting the Digital Dirham?

For an initiative of this scale, alignment matters as much as the technology and framwork. Banks, payment providers, merchants and technology platforms need a clear operating model: who is responsible for what, which standards apply, how systems connect and how issues are resolved. The Central Bank sets the strategic direction, regulatory framework and requirements for the Digital Dirham, while the participating institutions and payment providers support its implementation and roll out across the ecosystem.

That alignment needs to cover security, resilience and testing. Payments are only as strong as the weakest link, so the ecosystem needs shared readiness criteria, common protocols and coordinated testing as services are developed. This is exactly how we approach major infrastructure changes at Network International, where every change is assessed against clear measures for availability, successful deployment and disruption before, during and after it goes live.

Resilience is built into the infrastructure, applications, controls and monitoring from the outset. Applying that same discipline to the Digital Dirham will help ensure that innovation moves forward on a stable and reliable foundation.

What will matter most in building consumer confidence and encouraging everyday use of the Digital Dirham?

With any new payment method, the technology is only part of the story. Consumers already have quick and familiar ways to pay, so the Digital Dirham will need to earn a place in their daily habits. The UAE is well placed in that respect, because consumers are already comfortable with digital wallets, contactless payments and other cashless services. At the same time, that means expectations around speed, simplicity and reliability are already very high.

That is why everyday value and consistent performance need to go hand in hand. Consumers need to understand where and how they can use the Digital Dirham, and the value it provides in their everyday transactions. For example, when Network introduces changes to its payment infrastructure, we strategically assess them against clear measures such as availability, successful deployment and disruption before, during and after they go live. The same discipline will matter here, because confidence can fall quickly if the experience is inconsistent across banks, wallets or merchants.

Security should support that confidence without making the payment feel complicated. Consumers should not have to think about the security measures, authentication and other technical processes taking place in the background. They should simply experience a payment that works, know that their money and personal information are protected, and have a clear route to support if something goes wrong. When those basics are delivered consistently, regular use is much more likely to follow.

Where can the payments industry add the greatest value in supporting the long-term success of the Digital Dirham?

With any national payment initiative, the biggest challenge is turning strong policy and infrastructure into something businesses can use easily every day. That is where the payments industry can add real value. Payment providers like Network, understand how merchants operate, how consumers pay across different channels and where complexity can slow adoption. Our role is to connect those practical needs with the wider vision set by the Central Bank.

That practical bridge between policy and day-to-day use is also where Network’s experience is relevant. Our work on national payment initiatives such as Jaywan and Aani, together with our involvement in supporting the development of the Digital Dirham acceptance capabilities, gives us a grounded view of the coordination, testing and merchant support needed to make new payment infrastructure work in practice.

Our focus is on making new payment methods as simple as possible for merchants to accept and manage. For the Digital Dirham, this means working in line with the Central Bank of the UAE framework and implementation roadmap to help create a straightforward and reliable experience for merchants and consumers.