ADI Chain Secures $50M UAE Blockchain

ADI Foundation's sovereign-grade blockchain infrastructure positions Abu Dhabi at the centre of regulated digital finance / zawya.com

In This Article

1. What Makes ADI Chain Different from Other Blockchain Networks

2. How the $50M Investment Accelerates UAE Blockchain Infrastructure

3. What ADI Chain's Growth Means for GCC Blockchain Adoption

4. Why Abu Dhabi Is Building the UAE's Sovereign Blockchain Layer

ADI Foundation has secured a USD 50 million strategic investment to accelerate ADI Chain, the UAE's institutional-grade Layer-2 blockchain network built for governments, financial institutions and regulated digital economies. The announcement, made today from Abu Dhabi, marks a defining moment for blockchain infrastructure in the Middle East and signals the transition of sovereign-grade on-chain finance from ambition to live deployment.

Key Takeaways

• ADI Foundation has secured USD 50 million to scale ADI Chain's institutional blockchain infrastructure across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

• ADI Chain operates as MENA's first institutional Layer-2 blockchain, powering the CBUAE-licensed DDSC dirham stablecoin issued by IHC, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Sirius International Holding.

• Strategic partners supporting ADI Foundation include BlackRock, Mastercard, M-Pesa and Franklin Templeton, among the world's most significant institutional financial names.

• DDSC has processed over USD 41 million in institutional transactions since launch, including a Dh110 million ($30 million) transfer by IHC, one of the largest single on-chain stablecoin transactions completed in the region.

• ADI Chain is the official settlement infrastructure for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Prediction Market in partnership with Kalshi, generating sustained network activity at global scale.

What Makes ADI Chain Different from Other Blockchain Networks?

Blockchain infrastructure in the UAE has evolved significantly over the past three years, driven by regulatory clarity from the Central Bank of the UAE, the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority and the ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority. Yet most networks operating in the region have served either consumer-facing applications or institutional pilots that never reached production scale. ADI Chain was built from inception to occupy a different position: a regulated, compliant, sovereign-grade Layer-2 platform designed for the institutional finance requirements of governments, banks and large enterprises.

Unlike permissionless Layer-1 networks, ADI Chain combines compliance, scalability and security across a single infrastructure layer. It underpins the UAE Central Bank-licensed DDSC dirham stablecoin, one of the first regulated fiat-pegged stablecoins in the GCC to achieve live institutional deployment at scale. Its design prioritises regulatory alignment over open access, making it the natural choice for national digital currency programmes and cross-border institutional settlement.

According to Andrey Lazorenko, Chief Executive of ADI Foundation, "Infrastructure only becomes meaningful when it is used. Over the past year we have focused relentlessly on building institutional partnerships, securing regulatory alignment and developing real-world applications. Today, those efforts are becoming operational. This investment enables us to scale that momentum globally as governments, enterprises and financial institutions increasingly require trusted blockchain infrastructure capable of supporting mission-critical applications."

Lazorenko added: "What differentiates ADI Chain is that our growth is being driven by genuine utility rather than speculation. From sovereign stablecoin infrastructure and institutional payments to the FIFA World Cup Prediction Market and government digital transformation initiatives, the projects entering deployment today establish a strong and sustainable foundation for long-term ecosystem growth."

Abu Dhabi Global Market's regulatory approach to blockchain sets the compliance standard for institutional on-chain infrastructure across the GCC / zawya.com

How Does the $50M Investment Accelerate UAE Blockchain Infrastructure?

The USD 50 million will be deployed across four areas: network infrastructure scaling, ecosystem expansion, developer incentives and institutional integrations. These investments are designed to support what ADI Foundation describes as exponential growth as adoption accelerates across government and enterprise verticals.

Three high-profile applications are now live on ADI Chain. First, the DDSC dirham stablecoin: launched in February 2026 through a collaboration between International Holding Company, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Sirius International Holding, DDSC operates exclusively on ADI Chain as the settlement layer for institutional payments, treasury operations and cross-border financial applications. As of July 2026, DDSC has been approved by the UAE Central Bank and VARA for retail distribution on regulated exchange platforms, tied directly to the stablecoin deployment momentum covered in our analysis of DDSC's VARA retail expansion.

Second, ADI Predictstreet: the official FIFA World Cup 2026 Prediction Market, developed in partnership with regulated prediction market operator Kalshi, routes all predictions, settlements and on-chain transactions through ADI Chain. This drives sustained network activity at a scale that few regional blockchain networks have ever achieved, reinforcing ADI Token's role as the network's native gas and utility token.

Third, government digital infrastructure: ADI Foundation has established strategic partnerships with governments in more than 20 countries, supporting digital transformation programmes, cross-border payment modernisation and national digital asset infrastructure deployments. This gives ADI Chain a direct pathway into sovereign adoption that extends well beyond the Gulf.

The investment positions ADI Foundation to accelerate its expansion across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, regions where demand for trusted, regulated blockchain infrastructure is growing in parallel with digital economy strategies at the national level.

What Does ADI Chain's Growth Mean for GCC Blockchain Adoption?

The scale of institutional activity on ADI Chain provides the clearest signal yet that the GCC is entering a new phase of blockchain deployment: one defined not by licensing counts or regulatory milestones, but by actual capital moving on-chain at institutional scale.

According to Syed Basar Shueb, Chief Executive of International Holding Company, "This transaction demonstrates that the UAE's digital infrastructure is live, resilient, and ready to support real institutional financial activity." That statement followed IHC's execution of a Dh110 million ($30 million) DDSC transaction on ADI Chain in May 2026, one of the largest single on-chain stablecoin transactions completed in the MENA region and a direct demonstration of the network's readiness for institutional-grade throughput.

IHC, whose board is chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, is the UAE's most significant institutional investor in blockchain infrastructure. The company plans to invest up to $8 billion across mining, energy and financial services in the next six months, with blockchain settlement infrastructure embedded as a core operational capability.

For the broader GCC, the CBUAE, ADGM FSRA and VARA provide complementary regulatory coverage that eliminates distinct institutional risk categories. As examined in our analysis of UAE institutional digital asset custody, this three-pillar regulatory structure is the necessary condition for large-scale on-chain capital deployment, and ADI Chain is the infrastructure network positioned to capture the resulting demand.

The UAE's regulatory frameworks for stablecoins and digital currencies have accelerated institutional on-chain adoption across Abu Dhabi and Dubai / thenationalnews.com

Why Abu Dhabi Is Building the UAE's Sovereign Blockchain Layer

Abu Dhabi's contribution to the UAE's blockchain ecosystem is distinct from Dubai's. While Dubai has built the world's densest concentration of regulated virtual asset firms under VARA, and DIFC's regulatory ecosystem has driven the DFSA-licensed digital asset firm count past 1,000, Abu Dhabi is building the infrastructure layer: sovereign-grade blockchain networks capable of supporting national payment systems, government digital transformation programmes and global institutional applications.

ADI Foundation's IHC and Sirius International Holding parentage places it at the intersection of Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth strategy and its digital economy vision. The backing of BlackRock, Mastercard, M-Pesa and Franklin Templeton is structural: each partner brings a different institutional credibility that broadens ADI Chain's potential adoption surface. BlackRock brings asset management legitimacy, Mastercard brings global payment network reach, M-Pesa brings cross-border mobile finance expertise and Franklin Templeton brings tokenised fund infrastructure. Together, they constitute an institutional network that positions ADI Chain as a potential global settlement standard for regulated digital assets.

For participants in the blockchain economy across the MENA region, the UAE's broader digital economy blockchain strategy has moved from policy declaration to production infrastructure. Today's $50 million investment is the capital confirmation of that transition and a signal to governments, financial institutions and enterprise operators across the GCC that Abu Dhabi's blockchain infrastructure is not speculative technology but regulated financial plumbing.

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FAQ: ADI Chain and UAE Blockchain Infrastructure for GCC Investors

Q: What is ADI Chain?

ADI Chain is a sovereign-grade institutional Layer-2 blockchain network built and operated by ADI Foundation, a nonprofit entity founded by Sirius International Holding, a subsidiary of International Holding Company. It is designed for institutional and government use, with regulatory compliance, enterprise scalability and security as core design requirements. ADI Chain is MENA's first institutional Layer-2 blockchain and serves as the settlement infrastructure for the CBUAE-licensed DDSC dirham stablecoin.

Q: Who backs ADI Foundation?

ADI Foundation is backed by International Holding Company and Sirius International Holding as founding shareholders, and by strategic partners including BlackRock, Mastercard, M-Pesa and Franklin Templeton. The DDSC stablecoin is a collaboration between IHC, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Sirius International Holding, operating exclusively on ADI Chain.

Q: What is DDSC and how does it run on ADI Chain?

DDSC is a UAE Central Bank-licensed dirham-pegged stablecoin launched in February 2026 by IHC, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Sirius International Holding. It operates exclusively on ADI Chain as the settlement layer for institutional payments, treasury operations and cross-border transactions. DDSC has processed over $41 million in institutional transactions since launch and has received VARA approval for retail distribution on regulated exchange platforms.

Q: What is the connection between ADI Chain and the FIFA World Cup 2026?

ADI Chain is the settlement infrastructure for ADI Predictstreet, the official FIFA World Cup 2026 Prediction Market developed in partnership with Kalshi. Every prediction, settlement and on-chain transaction executed through the platform generates network activity on ADI Chain, contributing to sustained utilisation and reinforcing demand for the ADI Token as the network's native gas and utility token.

Q: What does the ADI Chain $50M raise mean for blockchain in the GCC?

The investment signals that institutional confidence in UAE-based blockchain infrastructure has reached the level required for large-scale capital deployment. With regulatory backing from the CBUAE, VARA and ADGM, and with live institutional deployments already processing hundreds of millions of dirhams in transactions, ADI Chain represents the most advanced example of regulated blockchain infrastructure operating at production scale in the GCC. For governments and financial institutions across the region, it provides a proven reference architecture for sovereign digital asset deployment.