[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee] Crypto custody platform Bitcoin.com has added USDU, a dollar-linked stablecoin registered with the UAE central bank, to its self-custody wallet.

Cointelegraph reported on Aug. 19 that the integration allows Bitcoin.com web and mobile wallet users to send and receive USDU.

USDU is an Ethereum-based stablecoin issued by Abu Dhabi-based Universal Digital. Universal Digital said USDU was the first token registered under the UAE central bank’s payment token services regulation and is, for now, the only foreign-currency payment token. The company is regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) under Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) in relation to issuing fiat-linked tokens.

Bitcoin.com will first offer functions to store, send and receive USDU in its wallet. It plans to add swap and buy-and-sell functions later through third-party service providers. It also plans to accept USDU as a payment method on designated platforms, and said it is pursuing support for payments between users and merchants across its products. The scope of service may vary depending on local regulations.

The integration comes as USDU expands its distribution channels. USDU has so far broadened its distribution base first through institution-focused channels. Zodia Custody began supporting USDU around July, enabling institutional clients to store and transfer the token. In August, a USDT-USDU liquidity pool opened on Uniswap, adding liquidity in decentralised trading as well.

The expansion is also linked to the UAE regulatory framework. Universal Digital launched USDU in January this year. Under the UAE’s payment token services regulation, settlement of digital assets and digital asset derivatives can be made only in fiat currency or registered foreign-currency payment tokens. USDU’s central bank registration status is serving as a basis for widening its real-world use in payments.

The market views the integration as a chance to broaden USDU’s distribution from institutions to individual users. With support in the Bitcoin.com wallet, individual users can hold USDU directly without a separate custodian, and its uses could expand if trading and payment functions are added later. As Bitcoin.com is also considering payments between users and merchants, the next point to watch is whether use cases for a dollar stablecoin aligned with UAE regulation will expand.

https://t.co/si2F97Z02S wallet users now have access to USDU, the UAE's first CBUAE-registered USD stablecoin. Real dollar exposure. Transparent reserves. Now live. @Universal_USDU pic.twitter.com/oC3gqQb0YA