- DIFC incorporation establishes MESA as a non-profit industry platform for policy dialogue, education, research, standards development and international knowledge exchange

- MESA will convene industry, regulators and institutional stakeholders in the public interest to support responsible stablecoin adoption and regional collaboration

“We are pleased to welcome The Middle East Stablecoin Association to DIFC as it establishes the region’s first dedicated industry association focused on stablecoins, while also contributing to the development of the wider digital assets ecosystem. As digital finance continues to evolve, collaboration between industry participants, policymakers and innovators will be critical to unlocking new opportunities and supporting responsible growth. MESA’s incorporation further strengthens DIFC’s position as a leading global centre for financial innovation, providing a platform for the advancement of emerging technologies shaping the future of finance." – His Excellency Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of DIFC Authority

The Middle East Stablecoin Association (MESA), the region's first industry body dedicated exclusively to stablecoins, has today announced that it has been incorporated in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC),  the leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region as a Non-Profit Incorporated Organisation (NPIO).
The incorporation marks MESA's transition from an industry-led initiative into a DIFC-registered non-profit platform focused on responsible stablecoin adoption, policy dialogue, education, research, standards development and international knowledge exchange.

MESA exists to convene stablecoin issuers, exchanges, banks, legal advisers, fintech infrastructure providers, venture capital firms, corporate treasury leaders and other market participants, and to engage policymakers and regulators, in support of the safe, transparent and interoperable growth of digital money across the Middle East. MESA operates in the public interest and does not promote, endorse or confer commercial advantage on any individual organisation.

The organisation is establishing its DIFC-incorporated platform at a pivotal moment for digital money. According to DeFiLlama and Citi Institute, global stablecoin market capitalisation now stands at around USD 311 billion, up from approximately USD 28 billion in 2020, with Citi projecting the market could reach USD 1.9 trillion in its base case and USD 4.0 trillion in its bull case by 2030. The UAE is emerging as one of the world's most active regulated digital asset markets, with Chainalysis estimating that the country received more than USD 56 billion in crypto value during its 2024 to 2025 reporting period, representing 33 per cent growth year on year.

MESA selected DIFC as its place of incorporation because of its established legal framework for non-profit organisations, internationally recognised financial ecosystem and growing role as a global centre for digital finance. Dubai is ranked seventh globally in the latest Global Financial Centres Index and ninth globally for FinTech, and DIFC is home to the region's largest innovation community, with more than 1,670 innovation and technology firms.

Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta, Chairman of MESA, said: “Stablecoins are moving from the edge of crypto markets into the core of financial infrastructure, supporting settlement, treasury, cross-border payments and programmable finance. The Middle East has the opportunity to help shape this next architecture of money. MESA's role is to help the region become a standard-setter rather than a standard-taker, aligning industry participants around credible standards, informed policy dialogue and responsible innovation. Incorporation provides MESA with a formal governance framework through which it can undertake its educational, research and public interest activities across the region.”

His Excellency Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of DIFC Authority, said: “We are pleased to welcome The Middle East Stablecoin Association to DIFC as it establishes the region’s first dedicated industry association focused on stablecoins, while also contributing to the development of the wider digital assets ecosystem. As digital finance continues to evolve, collaboration between industry participants, policymakers and innovators will be critical to unlocking new opportunities and supporting responsible growth. MESA’s incorporation further strengthens DIFC’s position as a leading global centre for financial innovation, providing a platform for the advancement of emerging technologies shaping the future of finance."

Kristiina Lumeste, Co-Chair of Technology, Innovation and Education at MESA, added: “Stablecoins are reshaping how value moves globally, but sustainable adoption depends on more than technology. It requires governance, education, interoperability and confidence. MESA will help bridge innovation and compliance by bringing market participants together around practical standards and shared understanding, so that digital money can develop in a way that is secure, transparent and globally aligned.”

The UAE's digital asset landscape is supported by a layered regulatory framework spanning the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and Abu Dhabi Global Market's (ADGM) Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). The CBUAE’s Payment Token Services Regulation is in force and sets conditions for the issuance, conversion, custody and transfer of payment tokens, while the DFSA recognised USDC and EURC as crypto tokens within the DIFC in 2025. As regulatory frameworks continue to mature, MESA will provide a neutral platform for education, research, standards development and industry coordination.

Milestones and early activities

Ahead of its DIFC incorporation, MESA established early momentum through industry engagement, education and thought leadership in the public interest:
•  Legal and regulatory research: Published “Towards Harmonization: An Analysis of the Stablecoin Regulatory Landscape Across the Middle East”, prepared by MESA's Legal and Regulatory Working Group.
•  Corporate treasury education: Released an educational briefing on the role of stablecoins in corporate treasury, developed by MESA's Corporate Treasury Committee.
•  Educational roundtable: Co-hosted a closed-door educational roundtable with Citi at DIFC on stablecoins and corporate treasury transformation.
•  Institutional engagement: Represented the stablecoin sector at an institutional allocator conference in Abu Dhabi, appearing alongside Coinbase, Polygon and GMO Trust to provide an educational perspective on stablecoins.
•  Committee structure active: Established functional committees across Legal and Regulatory Affairs and Compliance, Technology and Innovation, Marketing and Public Relations, and Banking and Corporate Treasury.
Organisations interested in becoming members of MESA, contributing to its working groups, or supporting its public interest initiatives are invited to learn more at www.mesaofficial.com.