Checkout.com Receives In-Principle UAE Approval for Stored Value Facilities Licence
Checkout.com has secured in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) for a Stored Value Facilities (SVF) licence, marking a significant regulatory step for the global digital payments company in the Emirates.
The approval is expected to enable Checkout.com to expand its product set in the UAE by introducing issuing capabilities alongside its existing acquiring services on a single platform. The company currently offers acquiring and issuing as modular solutions, allowing merchants to adopt the services that best fit their operational needs.
With the new licence pathway, Checkout.com said businesses using its unified platform will be able to connect acquiring, issuing and business account capabilities. The company noted that this integrated setup is designed to simplify payment operations and support more flexible payment experiences for merchants and their ecosystems.
Merchant-Focused Platform Expansion
According to Checkout.com, the ability to combine these functions on one platform can help merchants reduce complexity and improve liquidity management. The company also said the connected approach could create new payment experiences for customers, partners and internal teams once the services become operational.
Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, General Manager for MENA at Checkout.com, said the development will support a more connected approach for merchants in the region. He stated that, once operational, the model should help reduce operational friction while improving liquidity and enabling new payment experiences.
The announcement adds to Checkout.com’s regional expansion strategy and aligns with the UAE’s broader FinTech Strategy, which is being implemented by the Central Bank of the UAE. The company described the approval as an important milestone in delivering its global payments proposition to merchants in the country.
Checkout.com operates as a digital payments provider serving merchants with modular acquiring and issuing services. The in-principle approval for an SVF licence strengthens its position in the UAE market, where payment infrastructure and regulatory readiness continue to support the growth of digital commerce.
What the SVF Approval Means
Stored Value Facilities licences are commonly associated with payment products that store monetary value for later use, supporting a wider range of digital payment flows. In this case, Checkout.com’s approval appears to create a clearer path for the company to broaden its capabilities in the UAE and offer more integrated payment infrastructure to businesses operating in the market.
While the company has not indicated a launch timeline in the announcement, the in-principle approval represents an important regulatory checkpoint before full operational deployment.
Industry Analysis
The approval underscores the UAE’s continued support for regulated fintech innovation, particularly in payments infrastructure. For merchants, the combination of acquiring, issuing and business account functionality on one platform could reduce fragmentation across payment operations and improve treasury efficiency. For the wider market, the development signals growing demand for embedded, end-to-end payment solutions that can support both local and cross-border commerce. As digital payment adoption accelerates in the region, regulatory approvals such as this one are likely to play a key role in shaping the next phase of fintech competition in the UAE.
