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Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2025/11/19/sheikh-mansour-makes-payment-to-china-using-digital-currency-in-uae-first/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">executed</a> the UAE’s first-ever cross-border payment using the nation’s digital currency during a meeting with Pan Gongsheng, Governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.&nbsp;
Sheikh Mansour, who also chairs the UAE Central Bank’s Board of Directors, completed the milestone transaction through the mBridge platform, marking the official launch of a new real-time settlement network designed for international payments.
The mBridge system, developed jointly by central banks in China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the <a href="https://hash.media/hashdesk/uae-and-china-connect-fast-payment-systems-through-cbdc-rail/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">UAE</a> with support from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), enables instant cross-border settlements using central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).&nbsp;
The platform aims to reduce transaction costs, improve payment speed, and enhance financial transparency across participating jurisdictions.&nbsp;
Emirati and Chinese banks were among the key contributors to the platform’s development, and broader expansion to include additional central banks is expected in 2026.
The ceremony also saw the announcement of the first multi-scheme prepaid card, branded “Jaywan–UnionPay,” along with the execution of its inaugural transaction. Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the UAE Central Bank, was also present during the event.
Sheikh Mansour described the initiatives as a testament to the strength of the UAE-China strategic partnership, highlighting their importance in advancing economic, financial, and technological cooperation.&nbsp;
He added that the rollout of mBridge, the interlinking of instant payment systems, and the Jaywan–UnionPay card represent crucial steps toward modernizing the UAE’s financial infrastructure and strengthening its position as a global leader in financial innovation.
The cross-border CBDC payment comes just one week after the UAE government executed its first domestic Digital Dirham transaction, conducted jointly by the Ministry of Finance and the Dubai Department of Finance in collaboration with the UAE Central Bank.&nbsp;
The move reflects the country’s commitment to integrating next-generation financial technology across both public and private sectors.
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UAE makes first cross-border CBDC payment via mBridge

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