Yes for buying and holding crypto inside the app. Coins stay with the custodian, and there is no published route to an external wallet.
| Criterion | Score | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Accepts exchange transfers | partial (1) | source · checked 8 September 2026 secondary source |
| Stablecoin off-ramp | no (0) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Business accounts for Web3 | no (0) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Custody | partial (1) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Staking and yield | no (0) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Card | yes (2) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Multiple jurisdictions | partial (1) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Open to retail | yes (2) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
Total 7 of 16. Yes scores 2, partial 1, no 0. A secondary source is press or a third party rather than the bank or its regulator. Unverified means no source could be found; the score stands until one is.
Scores are revised when a bank's documents change. Each revision is dated and sourced.
| 8 September 2026 | Stablecoin off-ramp | partial to no | source |
| Jurisdiction | UAE · Dubai |
| Type | Neobank |
| Health tag | Solid The digital arm of Emirates NBD, one of the Gulf's largest listed banking groups. · checked 26 August 2026 |
| Last verified | 8 September 2026 |
| 2018 | Emirates NBD said it does not restrict blockchain trading platforms after BitOasis reported blocked transfers, but noted some Bitcoin-linked transactions may be rejected by its screening or correspondent banks source |
| 2024 | VARA licensed Aquanow ME FZE on 22 July 2024 (VL/24/01/001) for broker-dealer, management and investment, and lending and borrowing services, with retail served only through licensed financial institutions. Emirates NBD then took an equity stake in Zodia Custody on 12 December 2024 source |
| 2025 | Emirates NBD reported in its Q1 2025 results that it launched crypto trading through Liv X in partnership with Aquanow and Zodia Custody. The bank is CBUAE licensed under number 01.01.01.003.1963.02 source |
Yes. Since 5 March 2025 the Liv X app lets UAE customers buy, sell and hold Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, Cardano and XRP. Trades go through Aquanow ME FZE, which holds a VARA broker-dealer licence, and Zodia Custody keeps the coins. You need an active Liv account and must pass an appropriateness test first.
Liv does not publish any way to do that. The terms say all coins are held in a wallet with the custodian and you will not have direct access to them. Money in and out moves only through your Liv USD Investment Account, so the practical loop is buy, hold, sell back to dollars.
Liv publishes no policy on exchange transfers. Its parent Emirates NBD said in 2018 that it does not restrict trading platforms as a class, while warning that some Bitcoin-linked transfers can be rejected by its screening or by correspondent banks. Third-party guides report AED transfers to VARA and FSRA licensed exchanges going through. Inward transfers to Liv are free.
The charges page shows 0% commission, tied to a fee-free campaign that runs from 1 July to 1 October 2026. Press coverage puts the standard fee at about 0.5% once a campaign ends. Liv does not publish the spread. The account itself is free if you meet a salary, spending, credit card or balance condition, and AED 25 a month otherwise.