- Processing volume growth: 62% year-on-year between 2024 and 2025 across MENA
- Licence type: Stored Value Facilities (SVF)
- Key capability: Direct card funding from acquired balances without pre-funding requirements
Checkout.com has received in-principle approval for a Stored Value Facilities (SVF) licence from the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), marking a regulatory milestone that will enable the payments company to offer both acquiring and issuing capabilities on a unified platform for UAE merchants. The approval, announced on July 27th, 2026, positions Checkout.com to streamline complex cross-border payment flows for enterprise clients by combining fund acceptance and payment experience management on a single infrastructure.
The unified platform integrates acquiring, issuing, and business account capabilities, allowing merchants to fund cards directly from acquired balances. This approach eliminates pre-funding operational burdens, improves liquidity management, and provides businesses with consolidated visibility and control over fund movements. Checkout.com offers acquiring and issuing as modular solutions, enabling merchants to adopt either service independently or combine them based on specific requirements.
The UAE has firmly established itself as a leading global fintech hub, with a high level of digital adoption and a forward-looking regulatory environment that makes it an exceptional place for businesses to innovate and grow.
Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, General Manager for MENA at Checkout.com, stated that the approval aligns with the UAE’s FinTech Strategy implemented by CBUAE and represents a significant step toward delivering the company’s full global payments proposition to UAE merchants. The licence approval reflects Checkout.com’s momentum in the MENA region, where it has experienced substantial processing volume growth and established operational infrastructure to support enterprise payment needs across borders.
Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, General Manager for MENA at Checkout.com. Source: RLC Global Forum
