The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has issued Ant International two licences — Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes (RPSCS) Category II and Stored Value Facilities (SVF). The approvals give its two brands, Antom and WorldFirst, legal access to the UAE payments market: merchant acquiring, e-wallet issuance and cross-border transfers. For UAE businesses, it means another globally scaled payments provider operating onshore.
What exactly Ant International received
On 14 October 2026 Ant International announced that CBUAE had granted it two licences: RPSCS Category II (covering retail payment services and card schemes) and SVF (covering electronic money and stored-value instruments). The full licences follow an in-principle approval (IPA) issued in August 2025, alongside a cooperation agreement with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO).
Ant International will route the authorisations through two brands: Antom, its merchant acquiring and payment-aggregation platform, and WorldFirst, its global account provider for cross-border payments.
Antom: merchant acquiring and 300+ payment methods
Antom is Ant International's payments platform, connecting merchants with consumers across 200+ markets and supporting 300+ payment methods in 140+ currencies. For UAE businesses, the licence enables acceptance of not only Visa and Mastercard but also regional wallets, QR schemes and local methods from other markets — a key need for merchants serving tourists and cross-border e-commerce.
WorldFirst: cross-border transfers and multi-currency accounts
WorldFirst is Ant International's international payments service with 1.6 million+ customers across 210+ countries and regions in 100+ currencies. The platform targets SMBs with export and import flows that need fast transfers without intermediary correspondent banks. The SVF licence allows WorldFirst to issue electronic accounts to UAE residents for incoming and outgoing payments.
Context: UAE strategy and the fintech landscape
"The RPSCS and SVF licenses mark a crucial milestone in Ant International's efforts to support the UAE's fintech ecosystem, aligning with the nation's 'We are UAE 2031' digitalisation and fintech strategy," said Leiming Chen, Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President of Ant International, according to the company's press release republished by BusinessWire and Fintech News UAE.
The approvals are part of CBUAE's effort to expand the licensed perimeter for non-bank payment providers. In a UAE market where cashless payment share continues to climb, the move signals further competition between global fintechs, local banks and acquiring providers.
What this means for UAE companies and entrepreneurs
For companies setting up a business in the UAE, the arrival of licensed global payments providers has practical implications. Choice of merchant acquirers widens — Antom will compete with local banks and Network International. SMB exporters gain another regulated provider for cross-border payments and multi-currency accounts, not tied to traditional banks. Exact pricing and conditions will follow once the services formally launch.
What is next
At the time of announcement, Ant International stated that services will go live "once Antom launches" — without a specific date. Separate UAE launch announcements for Antom and WorldFirst are expected in the coming months. For businesses, it is a signal to track onboarding terms and benchmark them against current providers.
