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Ant International, the company behind Alipay+, has received two full licences from the Central Bank of the UAE: a Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes (Category II) licence and a Stored Value Facilities (SVF) licence. Ant announced them on 14 October, 14 months after the central bank gave in-principle approval for both.
Key takeaways
Ant International has received a Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes (Category II) licence and a Stored Value Facilities (SVF) licence from the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), announced on 14 October 2026.
Ant says Antom, its merchant payments business, will offer merchant acquiring in the UAE and WorldFirst, its global accounts business, will offer cross-border financial services.
The licences follow in-principle approval in August 2025. Ant has given no launch date, and Alipay+ acceptance in the UAE already runs through local banks and acquirers.
What are CBUAE Payment and Stored Value Licences
Ant says the retail payments licence is an important step towards Antom, its merchant payments and digitisation business, offering merchant acquiring in the UAE. The SVF licence lets WorldFirst, its global accounts business, offer digital cross-border financial services in the country.
Leiming Chen, Ant International’s chief sustainability officer and senior vice president, said,
“The licences are a crucial milestone to the UAE’s “We are UAE 2031″ digitalisation plan. Ant plans to launch AI-driven payment and account products under the central bank’s rules.”
Ant says Antom connects merchants to more than 300 payment methods in over 200 markets and 140 currencies. WorldFirst, it says, has served more than 1.6 million customers and supports payments in over 100 currencies. Both figures are Ant’s own and cover its global operations, not the UAE.
From in-principle approval to licence
Ant received in-principle approval for the same two licences in August 2025, alongside a memorandum of understanding with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, Electronic Payments International reported. Ant said then that a full licence would let it offer merchant acquiring, payment aggregation, e-wallet issuance and domestic and cross-border fund transfers.
An in-principle approval is a required step before a full licence, not permission to operate. Ant hasn’t said what it completed between the two approvals.
What changes for UAE merchants
Merchants in the UAE can already accept cross-border payments from digital wallet users through Alipay+, using locally licensed banks and acquirers. Ant says that continues independently of the new licences. The licences matter for what comes next: Antom would let Ant acquire payments itself, once it launches, with AI-integrated tools for merchants serving local and overseas shoppers.
The licences follow Ant’s pilot of dirham transfers on HSBC’s tokenised deposit service, announced on 6 October, when Ant said its Middle East expansion would support Alipay+, Antom and WorldFirst.
What’s next
Ant hasn’t given a launch date for Antom or WorldFirst in the UAE. It hasn’t named the merchants or banks it expects to work with, said how many merchants it targets, or published pricing. The announcement notes that it isn’t an endorsement by the central bank and that Ant’s licensed activities remain under the central bank’s supervision.
FAQs
What licences has Ant International received in the UAE?
A Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes (Category II) licence and a Stored Value Facilities licence, both from the Central Bank of the UAE.
What is a stored value facility?
A licence category for products that hold money for making payments, such as digital wallets and prepaid products. Ant says its SVF licence lets WorldFirst offer cross-border financial services in the UAE.
What are Antom and WorldFirst?
Antom is Ant International’s merchant payments and digitisation business. WorldFirst is its global account provider, combining international payments, collections, currency conversion and treasury management.
Can UAE merchants use Antom now?
Not yet, as far as Ant has said. It gives no launch date. Merchants can already accept Alipay+ payments through local banks and acquirers.
What was the August 2025 approval?
In-principle approval from the central bank for the same two licences, a required step before a full licence is granted.
Editor’s Take: Ant has moved from in-principle approval to two full CBUAE licences in 14 months. They cover merchant acquiring for Antom and cross-border accounts for WorldFirst, two businesses Ant already runs elsewhere. Ant has given no launch date, merchant names or pricing, and Alipay+ acceptance continues through local partners in the meantime. The first signs of progress would be a named acquiring bank or merchant, or a WorldFirst launch announcement.