Emirates NBD Goes Live on Partior Network with Real-Time Cross-Border Dollar Payments #

Emirates NBD has become the first bank in the Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye region to go live on the Partior blockchain network, launching real-time cross-border US dollar payment services for its corporate and institutional clients.

The Dubai-based lender confirmed it has activated the service on Partior’s multi-currency blockchain clearing and settlement infrastructure. Clients can now send real-time USD payments to beneficiaries holding accounts at J.P. Morgan. According to the bank’s announcement, J.P. Morgan acted as both settlement bank and beneficiary bank for the first successful live transaction, ahead of a broader client rollout.

The move follows a strategic agreement Emirates NBD signed with Partior in October 2024, when the two organizations announced plans for the bank to join the network and eventually serve as the first regional settlement bank for UAE Dirham, Saudi Riyal and Indian Rupee transactions on the platform. At the time, Emirates NBD also indicated it was evaluating an equity investment in Partior through its innovation fund.

Partior was founded in 2021 and is backed by DBS Bank, J.P. Morgan, Standard Chartered, Temasek and Peak XV. It operates a distributed ledger platform designed to address inefficiencies in legacy correspondent banking, processing payment instructions, validation, clearing and settlement on a shared blockchain ledger. The setup enables 24/7 processing and removes the delays associated with sequential messaging systems used in traditional cross-border rails.

According to a report by Dubai Standard, Emirates NBD expects the service to help corporate clients streamline international payment flows and treasury operations by cutting processing times and providing greater real-time visibility into transaction statuses, two factors that have long complicated cross-border dollar payments for businesses in the region.

The USD payment service is described as the first stage of a broader expansion. Emirates NBD said it is working to connect additional banks to the network and plans to extend the service to cover more currencies and payment corridors over time, with further participating financial institutions expected to join.

As of the launch, Emirates NBD is the only MENAT-region bank active on the Partior network. The bank said the planned currency and corridor expansions are intended to support its international corporate and institutional clients as the network adds more participating banks.

Source: Dubai Standard