Yes. Crypto trading is built into the app, but it is a closed loop run by Bitpanda, and exchange transfer rules are not published.
| Criterion | Score | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Accepts exchange transfers | partial (1) | source · checked 8 September 2026 secondary source |
| Stablecoin off-ramp | partial (1) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Business accounts for Web3 | partial (1) | 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 | no (0) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Open to retail | yes (2) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
Total 8 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 | Business accounts for Web3 | no to partial | source |
| Jurisdiction | UAE · Ras Al Khaimah |
| Type | Traditional |
| Health tag | Solid Listed, long-established UAE bank with a clean recent record. · checked 26 August 2026 |
| Last verified | 8 September 2026 |
| 2022 | RAKBANK became the local bank behind Kraken's ADGM-licensed exchange, letting UAE residents fund Kraken in dirhams by domestic transfer. Kraken left Abu Dhabi in February 2023. source |
| 2025 | Launched in-app crypto brokerage on 29 July 2025 through Bitpanda Broker MENA, which holds a VARA broker-dealer licence dated 19 March 2025 covering retail investors. source |
| 2026 | Central Bank of the UAE gave in-principle approval on 7 January 2026 for RAKBANK to issue an AED-backed payment token, subject to further conditions. source |
Yes. Since July 2025 the app has a crypto tile that opens a Bitpanda trading screen. You can buy, sell and swap 21 cryptocurrencies in dirhams from your AED current or savings account. Bitpanda Broker MENA, licensed by Dubai's VARA, executes the trades and holds the coins.
The bank does not publish a policy on transfers to outside exchanges. In 2022 it was the local bank that let UAE residents fund Kraken in dirhams, and Kraken later left the country. The in-app service is built so you never need to move money out, and that is where the bank points customers.
Nothing on the crypto page, the Key Fact Statement or the terms describes moving coins to an external wallet. The terms say that if the bank stops the service, or your account closes, your digital assets have to be liquidated. Treat it as a closed loop.
Standard customers currently pay 0.5% to buy, 0.5% to sell and 0.7% to swap, all-in with VAT. Elite customers and salary-transfer customers get 0.4%, 0.5% and 0.35%. The price guide caps Standard at 1% and 1.4%. Custody is free and there are no FX charges because everything settles in AED.