Interpolitan Money Gains In-Principle Nod From UAE Central Bank
The London-headquartered firm can now move into building operational readiness in the UAE, though final authorisation is still pending.
Interpolitan Money has received in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE for its Stored Value Facilities licence application. The London-headquartered firm said the clearance allows it to begin preparing the systems and controls needed to run its proposed UAE activities, subject to final sign-off from the regulator.
The company intends to offer acquiring and issuing services to UAE merchants on a single platform. Those services will only go live once the Central Bank grants final approval.
Interpolitan already operates in Dubai through Interpolitan Money (DIFC) Limited, a separately regulated entity authorised by the Dubai Financial Services Authority since August 2025. That entity holds permissions for Managing Assets and Advising or Arranging on Money Services. The Central Bank application is a distinct process covering activities that fall under the Central Bank's own rulebook.
Rishi Patel, founder and chief executive of Interpolitan Money, described the in-principle approval as "an important step" while making clear it is "not the end of the process." He said the company is entering a phase of "build and operational readiness" and must satisfy the remaining requirements before it receives final authorisation.
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In that phase, Interpolitan will develop systems, processes, controls and local operating capabilities for its intended UAE activities, working alongside the Central Bank throughout.
The approval sits within a broader international push. Interpolitan operates in the UAE, India and Canada, and supports activity across more than 160 countries and over 50 currencies. Its clients include businesses, family offices, funds and intermediaries working across multiple jurisdictions and markets.
For a firm whose proposition rests on cross-border reach, a UAE licence would let it serve merchants locally instead of routing them through an entity regulated elsewhere. The gap between in-principle and final approval is where that plan is now parked.
