Milestone advances its ambition to build the financial platform for the Arab World
Ziina, the UAE’s homegrown consumer and business financial platform, has secured its Retail Payment Services Category III license and authorization to conduct Exchange Business Category IV activities under its existing Stored Value Facility license from the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), becoming the first homegrown UAE fintech company to hold regulatory authorizations spanning all three activities.
The approvals mark the completion of Ziina’s latest phase of regulatory licensing with the CBUAE and represent a significant milestone in the company’s growth. Together, these licenses give Ziina the regulatory foundation to expand the range of financial services it offers consumers and merchants through one platform, from receiving and holding money to spending, domestic payments and international transfers.
Ziina first received its Stored Value Facility license in 2024, authorizing the company to launch its digital wallet. The newly awarded Retail Payment Services Category III license significantly expands its regulated capabilities, covering merchant acquiring, payment aggregation, and domestic fund transfers. The license provides full regulatory authorisation for Ziina’s merchant acceptance products, including payment links, QR payments, Tap to Pay and its online payment gateway.
Regulated capabilities
In August 2026, the CBUAE also authorized Ziina to conduct Exchange Business Category IV activities under its existing Stored Value Facility license, originally granted in June 2024. This additional authorization expands Ziina’s regulated capabilities to include international money transfers through digital channels, including directly through the Ziina app.
“When more of your financial life is in one place, you have more control over your money. Our ambition is to take what we build here to enable financial freedom across the Arab world,” asserte Faisal Toukan, Co-Founder and CEO, Ziina.
The milestone comes as Ziina reaches scale. The company now serves more than 500,000 customers annually, processes more than US$ 1.5bn in annualised payment volume and is used by one in 10 UAE SMEs, a press statement concluded.
