Dubai Taxis Now Accept XRP — From City Streets to Global Real Estate, Ripple's Utility Booms
- Lilly Mackani
- Jul 25
- 2 min read
In a futuristic leap toward crypto-powered urban living, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has officially launched XRP-based payment support for taxis, positioning Dubai as the first global city to integrate Ripple’s technology into its public transport ecosystem.
Starting this month, passengers can pay their taxi fares using XRP through QR-code systems linked to RippleNet-compatible wallets, eliminating the need for cash or traditional card swipes. Transactions settle in under 5 seconds with near-zero fees—powered by the ultra-efficient XRP Ledger (XRPL).
“We are building the transportation ecosystem of the future—instant, global, and digital,” stated a senior official at RTA. “Crypto, especially XRP, aligns with our smart city strategy.”
Why XRP? It’s Fast, Scalable & Cost-Efficient
Dubai’s choice of XRP isn't random. With over 1,500 transactions per second, minimal energy usage, and a cost per transaction under $0.01, XRP is uniquely positioned for micro-payments like public transport.
This isn't XRP’s first leap into real-world utility—far from it.
XRP Is Powering the Future of Real Estate Too
Beyond taxis and remittances, XRP Ledger is also at the core of major real estate disruption.
RealFI, a fintech innovator in property tokenization, recently announced the launch of the $REAL token on the XRP Ledger on June 7, 2025. The token aims to digitize and democratize the $654.39 trillion global real estate market.
Designed as a universal Real Estate Currency, the REAL token will allow seamless rent payments, property purchases, and real-world asset integration—all powered by the same blockchain now driving taxis in Dubai.
With a capped supply of 100 million tokens, $REAL mirrors XRP’s efficiency and scalability, showing that Ripple's infrastructure can power everything from short taxi rides to multimillion-dollar property deals.
Dubai: The Blueprint for a Crypto Smart City
Dubai has been aggressively positioning itself as a Web3 and blockchain capital, with supportive crypto regulations, RippleNet partnerships, and a broader push to integrate digital payments citywide. Analysts believe that XRP-based taxi payments could soon extend to metro systems, ridesharing, airports, and even toll gates.
“Dubai isn’t just adopting blockchain—it’s operationalizing it,” says Lina Mahboub, fintech analyst at GulfChain Research.
