Inside Universal’s Pre-Launch: A Preview of Regulated Digital Value Infrastructure

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On November 20th, Universal convened senior executives from banking, fintech, payments, real estate, and digital assets for a private pre-launch gathering, offering an early look at the company’s approach to building regulated, institution-grade digital value infrastructure.

Universal shared its vision for a compliance-first, bank-anchored framework designed to meet the governance, transparency, and operational standards expected by global institutions. Central to this approach is USDU, a USD-referenced token issued by a FSRA-regulated entity in ADGM and fully backed by reserves held with Emirates NBD and Mashreq.

The evening was hosted by Saqr Ereiqat, Secretary General of A2D2, whose insights into the UAE’s digital asset ecosystem set the tone for the discussions. Juha Viitala, CEO of Universal, outlined how USDU has been structured as a regulated, bank-anchored fiat-referenced token, designed to meet institutional standards within clearly defined regulatory parameters. Phil Sham, CEO of Aquanow, highlighted the infrastructure underpinning USDU’s distribution and the role of secure, compliant connectivity in enabling institutional access across markets. The discussion also featured Mohammed Wassim, CEO of Mbank, who underscored the importance of strong banking foundations and interoperability in advancing trusted digital value frameworks.

A consistent theme emerged throughout the evening: institutions are increasingly prioritising transparency, full backing, and regulatory clarity as digital asset markets continue to mature.

To revisit the highlights, access the photo and video gallery below.
All assets are shareable. The event photo gallery is available here.

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