Methodology The sandbox used a structured model that simulated real-world trade scenarios in a controlled, collaborative environment. The project attracted strong international interest: eight technology companies were chosen from a competitive pool of 47 applications from 21 countries. Participants were chosen based on their potential contributions to innovation, regulatory developments, scalability and thematic alignment. Participating firms worked alongside regulators and subject-matter experts to test solutions using synthetic data and simulated flows of trade transactions. Participating firms were paired with one or more regulators including the Central Bank of the UAE, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the Regulations Lab (RegLab) from the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs (see Box 2: Participating firms and regulators). The NayaOne sandbox-as-a-service platform provided the technical environment for testing and enabled firms to integrate application programming interfaces (APIs) and model workflows and evaluate performance metrics without connecting to live systems (see Box 1: NayaOne explainer).Over a six-month testing period, participants explored innovative solutions in four thematic areas: –Trade documentation, which explored digital alternatives to paper-based trade documents, including MLETR-compliant electronic bills of lading and digital product passports (the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records [MLETR] is a legal framework developed by the United Nations to give electronic trade documents the same legal validity as paper ones) –Identity and trust systems for SME trade finance, which included blockchain-based identity verification mechanisms and trust infrastructures to comply with regulatory needs –Credit assessment and SME inclusion, which used AI-powered credit decisioning tools and alternative financing models to address the trade finance gap –Digital guarantees and payment settlement, which focused on stablecoin-based payment solutions and blockchain-enabled digital guarantees to reduce settlement times and costs Through continuous feedback loops and structured check-ins with regulators, the sandbox facilitated open dialogue and learning between innovators and policy-makers. The outcomes, detailed in Section 4 of this report, offer a unique perspective on regulatory considerations and the technical feasibility and potential scalability of next-generation trade finance solutions. Advancing Digital Trade: Insights from the UAE TradeTech Regulatory Sandbox 6

Advancing Digital Trade 2025