Adyen Obtains UAE Central Bank License for Payment Settlements
Adyen has obtained a Retail Payment Services Category II license from the CBUAE, six years after entering the UAE market. Read more on The Gulf Edition.
Adyen, a global payments company that processes transactions for businesses online, in-store and on mobile, has obtained a Retail Payment Services Category II license from the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE). Adyen has operated in the UAE since 2020, processing payments for companies including Careem, Ellington Properties, Gargash Group, Noon and Ziina.
What the license covers
The license allows Adyen to control local payment settlements directly in the UAE, without relying on third parties. The company said this gives it greater oversight of compliance and settlement processes.
Adyen said it intends to use the license to develop local capabilities in fraud prevention, new payment methods and unified commerce, and to support future technologies such as agentic AI.
The Category II license is one of four tiers under the CBUAE’s framework for retail payment services in the UAE.
Revolut has also received a Stored Value Facilities licence and a Retail Payment Services Category II licence from the central bank.
Mariëtte Swart, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at Adyen, said the license reflects the company’s approach to regulatory compliance: “Technology alone isn’t enough to serve large enterprises and platforms, it requires a solid, owned foundation that removes middlemen and protects customers from third-party risk.”
Daumantas Grigaravicius, Head of Middle East at Adyen, described the UAE as “a dynamic market for digital commerce” and said the license would allow the company to offer “greater control, reliability and innovation through our local operations.”
