UAE Digital Bank Zand Integrates XDC Network to Expand Blockchain Payments and Custody

• Zand completed XDC Network integration for blockchain payments and institutional custody, pending UAE regulatory approvals.
• Partnership includes ComTech Gold for blockchain-enabled gold trading; XDC transactions align with ISO 20022 standards.

Zand, a UAE-based fintech and digital banking group that uses AI and blockchain, has completed an integration with the XDC Network to support blockchain-powered payments and digital asset custody for corporate and institutional clients. The companies announced the completed integration in Dubai on Monday. 

Under the arrangement, Zand plans to offer institutional-grade digital asset custody that enables eligible clients to custody assets on XDC Network infrastructure. The partners said the integration will provide faster, more transparent, and cost-effective payment rails for business customers.

Zand Chief Executive Officer Michael Chan said the bank is building blockchain-powered financial products. This will bridge traditional finance services with decentralized finance tools and support the digital economy. XDC Network Co-Founder Ritesh Kakkad said digital banks and enterprise blockchain platforms can work together on payment and tokenization services, with a focus on compliance and utility for real-world use cases.

XDC Integration Targets Payments and ISO 20022 Alignment

The XDC Network said transactions on its network are designed to align with ISO 20022, a financial messaging standard used across payments and securities communications. The partners described the standard as supporting interoperability with existing financial systems and helping maintain compatibility with regulatory frameworks. 

As we previously covered, the ISO 20022 standardizes transaction data, which can support automation and operational consistency across institutions and payments.

The integration includes a commodity-market initiative through ComTech Gold, which the partners said is intended to simplify processes in the gold trading market. ComTech Gold combines traditional gold investment features with blockchain-based records for ownership and transfers.

The project noted that corporate and institutional clients will be able to access blockchain-powered payments and custody services on the network. 

Therefore, the work will support cross-border activity and institutional settlement for corporate treasury and trade finance workflows. However, the two partners did not provide a specific launch date for client access to the custody offering, noting that service availability depends on regulatory clearance. 

Additionally, late December last year, CNF reported that tZERO added XDC Network and Algorand to its regulated, multi-chain tokenization infrastructure. The update expanded tZERO’s network support beyond Avalanche, Tezos, and Ethereum, giving issuers more options for tokenized securities.

At the time of writing, XDC was trading at $0.04661, down 2.41% over the past 24 hours.