Emirates NBD enables the region’s first real-time blockchain-based cross-border USD payments on Partior network

Dubai, UAE, 14 July 2026: Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye (MENAT) region, is live on the Partior network, a multi-currency, blockchain-based clearing and settlement network, becoming the first financial institution in the region to enable real-time, blockchain-based cross-border payments on Partior’s infrastructure. The launch marks the first phase of a broader roadmap to expand the capability across additional currencies, settlement corridors and more participating banks globally as the Partior network scales.  

This milestone underscores Emirates NBD’s leadership in payments innovation, as the bank continues to integrate emerging technologies that deliver competitive advantages to its clients. These include improved faster settlements and greater payment transparency, reflecting a significant step in cross-border payments infrastructure.

Following a successful live USD transaction, where J.P. Morgan acted as both the settlement and beneficiary bank, Emirates NBD is now enabling real-time USD payments for its corporate and institutional clients, with beneficiary accounts held at J.P. Morgan.

The achievement is a direct outcome of Emirates NBD’s strategic partnership and investment in Partior. By moving from partnership to live execution within a short time frame, Emirates NBD reaffirms its ability to operationalise emerging technologies at scale within a trusted and regulated banking framework.

Anith Daniel, Group Head of Transaction Banking Services at Emirates NBD, said: “As the needs of our corporate and institutional clients evolve, we continue to deliver innovative solutions that create value for their businesses. Moving from partnership to live execution on the Partior network enables us to offer faster USD settlement for J.P. Morgan beneficiaries, supporting more efficient treasury operations for our clients. This launch reflects our ability to deploy payment solutions that are secure, scalable and proven in live cross-border execution with global counterparties.”

The development comes as financial institutions globally are increasingly adopting blockchain-based settlement infrastructure to reduce friction, improve payment transparency and accelerate cross-border capital flows.

Humphrey Valenbreder, Chief Executive Officer at Partior, said: “We are combining Emirates NBD’s regional strength with our blockchain-based clearing and settlement infrastructure to support more efficient global payments. This gives institutions greater speed and transparency in how transactions are processed. The focus now is on expanding participation across currencies and markets as more banks connect and transact on the network.”

Looking ahead, Emirates NBD is advancing towards connecting with other banks across various currencies on the Partior network, further strengthening its payments offering through faster settlement and shorter turnaround times for its clients through programmable liquidity management.

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About Emirates NBD

Emirates NBD (DFM: Emirates NBD) is a leading banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye) region with a presence in 13 countries, serving over 10 million active customers. As of 31^st March 2026, total assets were AED 1.2 trillion, (equivalent to approx. USD 327 billion). The Group has operations in the UAE, Egypt, India, Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Russia and Bahrain and representative offices in China and Indonesia with a total of 790 branches and 4,536 ATMs / SDMs. Emirates NBD is the leading financial services brand in the UAE with a Brand value of USD 6.1 billion. 

Emirates NBD Group serves its customers (individuals, businesses, governments, and institutions) and helps them realise their financial objectives through a range of banking products and services including retail banking, corporate and institutional banking, Islamic banking, investment banking, private banking, asset management, global markets and treasury, and brokerage operations. The Group is a key participant in the global digital banking industry with 97% of all financial transactions and requests conducted outside of its branches. The Group also operates Liv, the lifestyle digital bank by Emirates NBD, with close to half a million users, it continues to be the fastest-growing bank in the region.

Emirates NBD demonstrates leadership in sustainability by becoming the first bank globally to publish an IFRS S1 and S2-aligned report along with assurance of financed emissions and through the landmark issuance of the world’s first Sustainability-Linked Financing Sukuk by Emirates Islamic of USD 500 million fully aligned with ICMA guidelines. Emirates NBD continues to engage and support communities through its pioneering exchanger volunteer programme which completed 10 years in 2025 with over 160,000 hours contributed to social causes for over 1.1 million beneficiaries.    

About Partior

Partior is the trusted global settlement infrastructure that enables real-time, cross-border movement of digital money efficiently and seamlessly. Backed by DBS Bank, J.P. Morgan, Standard Chartered, Temasek, Peak XV, Valor Capital, Deutsche Bank and Emirates NBD, our blockchain solutions solve the challenges of today and unlock the opportunities of tomorrow, driving new possibilities through purposeful innovation.