Regulations
By Jean-Luc Maracon
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airBaltic, Vueling, BitPay: Emirates Isn't the First. Emirates is following a path already paved. airBaltic did it back in 2014 — the Latvian airline…
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$7.8 Billion in May 2026: The Numbers Speak. The volumes are there. In May 2026, cumulative payments by crypto cards reached $7.
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Emirates is now accepting cryptocurrencies. The Dubai-based airline has officially announced a partnership with Crypto.
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The deal is straightforward on paper. A traveler opts to pay in crypto, Crypto.com automatically converts it into traditional currency, and Emirates receives its dirhams or…
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Not exactly a total surprise, in essence.
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Emirates is following a path already paved. airBaltic did it back in 2014 — the Latvian airline was the pioneer in commercial aviation, long before cryptocurrencies became…
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There are also third-party players in this landscape. Alternatives Airlines and Travala allow purchasing tickets on dozens of airlines with cryptocurrencies — even for airlines…
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But Emirates operates on a different scale. The Gulf airline is one of the largest in the world in terms of long-haul traffic.
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Read also: Emirates accepts crypto payments for UAE residents buying flights
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Emirates is clearly targeting this clientele. Long-haul travelers who hold cryptocurrencies — and their numbers are growing in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe — now have a…
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More context: Emirates Lets UAE Residents Book Flights With Crypto via Crypto.coms 4,500-Wallet Network
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It's not yet clear whether all cryptocurrencies are accepted or only certain tokens. The source does not specify which digital assets are eligible via Crypto.
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And a strange detail in the source. There's a mention of an employee, Mahchid Modjaverian, and two unsuccessful dismissal attempts.
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The crypto payment market in travel is still fragmented. On one side, airlines directly integrating like airBaltic, Vueling, and now Emirates.
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What changes with Emirates is the signal sent to the rest of the industry. When an airline of this size says yes to cryptocurrencies, product teams at other major carriers start…
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