UAE helped US regulators frame digital asset policy, Circle president says

Stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Group says the UAE has played a vital role in helping US regulators frame digital asset policies, reflecting the growing influence of the Emirates in the global technology stage.

The company, which manages the world's second-biggest stablecoin, USDC, raised more than $1 billion at its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, reflecting the legitimacy of digital assets and the growing attention they attract from regulators, its president Heath Tarbert told The National.

The listing valued the New York City-based Circle at around $6.8 billion after it priced its IPO at $31 per share, well above the projected top range of $27 and $28, making it one of the most prominent crypto firms that has tapped into equity markets.

With the emergence of digital asset providers in the markets, regulation becomes more magnified especially in the US, which has banked on fellow forward-looking and tech-oriented nations such as the UAE for policies that would be a standard globally, said Mr Tarbert, who also served as assistant secretary of the US Treasury and chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

"While people do look to the US, it has been looking elsewhere as well for ideas, given the importance of digital assets and trying to get it right, and they've looked no further than the UAE," he said in an interview.

"I would commend … particularly the financial services authorities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for being at the forefront of this because they've actually helped inform US policymakers … there's a real realisation that stablecoins in particular can do a lot for our financial system."

Cryptocurrencies in general are notoriously driven by trends and political developments. US President Donald Trump, arguably the world's biggest backer of crypto, gave an unprecedented boost to the sector – most notably Bitcoin – which scaled multiple highs early in his second term.

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"Politics can play a role in anything, but it's ultimately fundamental technology that will prevail," Mr Tarbert said, noting that Mr Trump "seeing the importance" of crypto "can also help the US continue to be a leader in technology".

A stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency that is pegged to a fiat currency and tends to be less volatile, unlike Bitcoin and the like, for which swings are influenced by simple factors such as tweets and hype.

Unlike legacy financial institutions that require paperwork, approvals and physical branches, stablecoins only require an internet connection and a digital wallet. This removes barriers and allows anyone, anywhere, to send, receive and store money without needing a bank.

AE Coin, the first regulated digital currency in the UAE, was granted final approval by local authorities and is scheduled to be launched “soon”. In April, Abu Dhabi entities IHC, ADQ and First Abu Dhabi Bank plan to launch a dirham-backed stablecoin, which will be fully regulated by the UAE Central Bank, aimed at easing payment solutions.

Tether, whose USDT is the world's biggest stablecoin, in August received the go-ahead to develop a stablecoin in the UAE.

And Circle, which last year incorporated a unit in Abu Dhabi, partnered with Binance in December to incorporate USDC into products that can be used locally.

Mr Tarbert said stablecoins will allow users to move in and out of digital assets, in addition to being a store of value globally, helping secure their finances. In particular, the UAE, a major source of remittance outflows, can benefit from their secure nature, he added.

"People want to hold things like dollars in particular, but also euros and other currencies in their wallets safely and securely," he said. "The UAE is a major remittance corridor in the world … [stablecoins will provide] that fulcrum between east and west, north and south."