Emirates has activated Crypto.com Pay as a payment option across its website and app, making it one of the first major international carriers to integrate a regulated crypto-native payment solution into its core booking flow.
The feature is available to eligible UAE residents for bookings priced and settled in Emirati Dirham. Customers booking on the Emirates App are redirected to Crypto.com’s app to approve payment from their wallet before returning to receive their confirmation and e-ticket. On desktop, users scan a QR code at checkout and approve the transaction through the Crypto.com app.
The go-live follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed in July 2025, putting the gap between agreement and launch at under a year.
“Bringing this initiative to life delivers on our commitment to expanding customer choice in how they pay for travel. It also reflects the rapidly evolving preferences of a younger, digitally fluent generation who manage their money and plan their journeys primarily from their phones and they expect the airlines they fly with to keep pace. Moving from signature to launch with Crypto.com in under a year is a credit to both teams, and to a regulatory environment that makes this kind of innovation possible, reflecting the UAE’s and Dubai’s ambition to lead in fintech and the digital economy,” Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer said in a statement.
“Partnering with Emirates is a milestone for Crypto.com and our Pay feature, which is renowned for its ease of use and seamless integration. This collaboration is a testament to the UAE’s forward thinking approach to innovation and we’re proud to support Emirates as it embraces the digital payments space,” Eric Anziani, President and Chief Operating Officer, Crypto.com added.
The integration runs through Crypto.com’s Dubai entity, which holds the distinction of being the first Virtual Asset Service Provider to receive a Stored Value Facilities licence from the Central Bank of the UAE. That regulatory standing places the payment within the SVF framework and UAE compliance standards.
The launch also slots into a broader policy push. Emirates said the rollout supports Dubai’s Cashless Strategy under the D33 Economic Agenda, which targets making 90 per cent of financial transactions across government and private sectors digital by the end of 2026.
It follows Emirates’ earlier partnership with Dubai Finance on digital payments, and a separate Crypto.com agreement with Dubai Finance to accept digital payments for government services.
