London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Real estate payments in cryptocurrency could become more popular in UAE

Real estate payments in cryptocurrency could become more popular in UAE

Real estate transactions involving cryptocurrency in Dubai and throughout the UAE could become more popular, with the region positioning itself as a digital money hub.
The UAE is becoming more of a base for innovative companies and individuals to set up shop, including those interested in cryptocurrencies, with a recently passed law making it even easier and more attractive for people to work with digital currencies in Dubai.

According to a recent report by accounting giant PwC, the UAE’s share in the global crypto market increased by 500 percent between July 2020 and June 2021 and there are reportedly more than 400 crypto businesses in the country.

“[I] think more people [will be] be moving over that are interested in that world and, obviously, they all need somewhere to live… or [want] to invest in properties,” Paul Kelly, Operations Director at Allsopp & Allsopp Real Estate told Al Arabiya English.

“I think as we go on over the next few years, there'll be an increase in demand [for paying for real estate with cryptocurrency],” he added.

“A crypto grows, as it is utilized by more people around the world, the number of use cases will grow and one of many use cases [is] real estate,” Kim Grauer Director of Research at Chainalysis – a platform that provides data on blockchain – the technology used to process and record crypto payments, told Al Arabiya English.

In March this year, UAE Vice President and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid set up new regulation in the emirate in a bid to make the UAE more attractive to people using virtual assets. The legal framework was established to protect investors and promote growth in the virtual asset industry, state press agency WAM reported at the time.

Sheikh Mohammed also announced that Dubai would set up a Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority that will work with the Central Bank of the UAE, which should make paying in crypto currencies easier and safer.

The UAE’s crypto hub Dubai doesn’t actually accept cryptocurrency payments for goods, which means that if a buyer wants to purchase something using digital money, they must go to a so-called exchange house which converts it into Fiat currency – such as UAE Dirhams, or US dollars. Crypto exchanges in the UAE include e-Toro, Coinbase, OKX and Binanace.

But despite this, in a sign that the country’s efforts to draw in crypto-based business is working, companies involved in crypto payments are still moving over to the UAE to set-up shop.

“We've heard of businesses [and] we've heard of businesspeople traveling and moving to UAE because of these favorable regulations,” Grauer said.

In March this year both Crypto.com and Bybit announced plans to open offices in Dubai. Crypto.com moved its regional headquarters to Dubai while Bybit moved its global headquarters to the emirate.

“Positioning itself as a global digital hub, authorities have been making efforts to transform its economy, embracing the latest fintech innovations while creating the necessary regulatory frameworks,” the company said in a blog at the time.

A survey from YouGov showed that 67 percent of EU residents are interested in investing into cryptocurrencies within the next five years and that UAE is one of the top markets globally where consumers say they trust cryptocurrencies.

“The UAE is one of the fastest growing crypto hotspots that we’re really paying close attention to chain analysis these days, especially within the Middle East region,” said Grauer.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
×