About the Report
Building Gulf Stablecoins and CBDCs Infrastructures (2026–2030)
Strategy, Scale and Supervision

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Edgar, Dunn & Company’s latest report explores how Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are rapidly shaping the future of digital money through stablecoins and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

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From early experimentation to full-scale regulatory frameworks, the region is emerging as a global leader in digital currency innovation, driven by strategic priorities such as monetary sovereignty, financial infrastructure modernization and cross-border efficiency.

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What’s inside the report

• Executive insights on how GCC markets are transitioning from pilots to implementation
• Regional maturity analysis, highlighting leaders such as the UAE and rising players like Saudi
  Arabia and Bahrain
• Deep dives into use cases including cross-border trade (mBridge), retail payments, tokenized
  assets, and programmable finance
• Case studies of leading initiatives such as Digital Dirham, AE Coin, CoinMENA, and ADIB Smart
  Sukuk
• Forward-looking perspectives on how regulation-first approaches will drive adoption across
  institutions, enterprises, and consumers

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Key themes

• A dual-rail financial system is emerging, combining stablecoins and CBDCs
• Strong public-private collaboration is accelerating innovation
• The region is building sovereign, programmable and interoperable payment infrastructure
• Adoption is expected to scale from institutional use cases to retail and SME ecosystems

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Who should read this report?

This report is essential reading for:

• Financial institutions and payment providers
• Central banks and regulators
• Fintechs and digital asset players
• Corporates exploring treasury, trade and cross-border innovation