# Liv Plans to Bring USDU Into Emirates NBD’s Banking App

By John Kim

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/52819
Published: 2026-11-10T05:14:56.000Z
Updated: 2026-11-10T05:14:56.000Z
Section: Business

> The MoU adds a dollar-backed stablecoin to Liv’s digital-asset plans, but gives no trading start date or customer eligibility terms.

Liv by Emirates NBD announced Nov. 9 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Universal Digital Intl Ltd. and Aquanow ME FZE to add Universal USD (USDU), a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, to its digital banking ecosystem. The proposed arrangement would expand Liv’s digital-asset services, but the companies have not set a date for trading to begin.

Universal issues USDU, while Aquanow will provide distribution infrastructure and support crypto trading through Liv X. USDU launched Jan. 29, 2026. Emirates NBD began offering crypto trading through Liv X in 2025 with Aquanow and Zodia Custody, giving the proposed integration an existing service within the banking app.

USDU is backed one-for-one by U.S. dollar reserves, with public reserve attestations released monthly. The partners also announced 90 days of zero-fee crypto trading. They did not specify when the promotion starts or which trades qualify.

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) regulates payment tokens in the country. Its rules restrict regulated providers’ transfers of registered foreign payment tokens to tokens used, or sold for use, as payment to buy virtual assets or their derivatives. USDU is not intended as a general-purpose payment method in the UAE.

The customer access terms are also unspecified. Universal’s permission to issue a Fiat-Referenced Token is limited to professional clients. Aquanow’s Dubai license allows retail services through licensed financial institutions, but the MoU does not explain which Liv customers will be eligible to trade USDU.

Rohit Garg, Emirates NBD’s Group Head of Retail Products and Chief Digital Officer of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, said the integration would offer customers “a secure, transparent and regulated bridge to digital assets within their everyday banking app.”