Dubai-based Emirates NBD has become one of the first financial institutions in the Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye (MENAT) region to launch real-time cross-border U.S. dollar payments using blockchain technology. The banking group announced July 14 that it has gone live on the Partior network, a multi-currency, blockchain-based clearing and settlement platform.
The activation follows a successful live transaction where JPMorgan functioned as both the settlement and beneficiary bank. Following the pilot, Emirates NBD is rolling out the capability to its corporate and institutional clients, allowing them to execute instant U.S. dollar payments to beneficiaries holding accounts at JPMorgan.
The launch represents the first phase of a broader multi-currency roadmap. Emirates NBD plans to scale the service by connecting with more global banks and introducing additional currencies, settlement corridors and programmable liquidity management tools.
According to a media statement, the milestone marks the commercial execution of a strategic relationship and equity investment initiated through Emirates NBD’s Innovation Fund.
“Moving from partnership to live execution on the Partior network enables us to offer faster USD settlement for JPMorgan beneficiaries, supporting more efficient treasury operations for our clients,” said Anith Daniel, group head of transaction banking services at Emirates NBD. Daniel noted that the platform enables the bank to deploy payment solutions that are secure, scalable and proven in live environments.
The move comes amid a broader industry shift, as global financial institutions increasingly look toward blockchain-based distributed ledgers to bypass traditional correspondent banking friction, enhance transparency and accelerate cross-border capital flows.
Humphrey Valenbreder, chief executive officer at Partior, said the collaboration combines Emirates NBD’s regional presence with Partior’s clearing infrastructure to establish speed and transparency in transaction processing. “The focus now is on expanding participation across currencies and markets as more banks connect and transact on the network,” Valenbreder said.
The integration with Partior follows a decade-long digital transformation strategy at Emirates NBD. In 2016, the bank launched a major digital overhaul, committing about $272 million to modernize its technology infrastructure and core banking systems. A year later, it introduced Liv, the region’s first lifestyle-focused, mobile-only digital bank aimed at millennial and digital-native consumers.
To formalize its work with emerging technologies, Emirates NBD manages fintech collaborations through a structured sandbox framework designed to scout, evaluate and scale external software into enterprise operations. The bank has increasingly opened its core systems to external integration through its API Souq developer portal, enabling corporate clients to embed banking workflows directly into their own systems.
The bank’s recent technology investments have moved deeper into next-generation infrastructure. Before the Partior rollout, the group launched a Digital Asset Lab to research decentralized finance and tokenization protocols, alongside a partnership with tech accelerator Techstars to source enterprise-grade artificial intelligence and fintech platforms across the MENAT region.
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