DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 12, 2026--
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The initiative will begin with a pilot for eligible Professional Clients on mb.io, the Group’s cryptocurrency and digital asset trading platform. It combines MultiBank Group’s trading infrastructure, institutional relationships and liquidity connectivity with Universal’s regulated stablecoin issuance, with the aim of integrating USDU into institutional settlement workflows.
The collaboration also includes to use USDU for settlement on MultiBank Exchange, complementing its existing settlement offering in fiat currencies and commodities. This would provide eligible institutional clients with an additional settlement option, subject to applicable legal, regulatory and risk approvals.
USDU is the first US dollar-backed stablecoin registered by the Central Bank of the UAE as a Foreign Payment Token. Universal, its issuer, is regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market. Each USDU is backed 1:1 by US dollar reserves held with UAE banks regulated by the Central Bank, with monthly independent reserve attestations. MultiBank’s selection of USDU reflects the alignment between an FSRA-regulated issuer, a CBUAE-registered stablecoin and a UAE-licensed trading venue, bringing the foundations for institutional digital asset settlement together within the UAE’s regulatory perimeter.
Mohammed Al Hakim, Vice Chairman of MultiBank Exchange Holding and Group and CEO of mb.io, said: “This agreement is an important step towards connecting traditional and digital finance. By bringing together MultiBank Group’s infrastructure and institutional network with Universal’s USDU, we aim to give eligible clients an additional settlement option within the UAE’s regulatory framework. The planned pilot on mb.io will allow us to assess how this capability can support institutional trading activity.”
Juha Viitala, Senior Executive Officer of Universal Digital Intl Limited, said : “Institutions need confidence in the asset they use to settle a trade. USDU combines regulated issuance, Central Bank registration and USD reserves held with regulated UAE banks. Our partnership with MultiBank brings those foundations together with established trading infrastructure and institutional reach. Together, we are developing a practical way for eligible institutions to use USDU in digital asset settlement.”
The pilot will be subject to applicable client onboarding, compliance and launch approvals.
About MultiBank Group
MultiBank Group, established in California, USA in 2005, is a global leader in financial derivatives, digital asset trading, and institutional ECN solutions. With over 4 million clients across 28 branches in 100+ countries and a daily trading volume exceeding $35 billion, the Group offers a broad range of brokerage, cryptocurrency, and asset management services, catering to both retail and institutional clients through its ecosystem of platforms, including MEX Exchange and mb.io. Renowned for innovative trading solutions, robust regulatory compliance, and exceptional customer service, MultiBank Group is regulated by 18+ top-tier financial authorities across five continents. Learn more at multibankgroup.com
ABOUT UNIVERSAL
Universal is a regulated stablecoin issuer offering trusted digital asset settlement for institutional digital finance. Universal issues USDU, a fully USD-backed stablecoin designed to bring greater transparency, efficiency, and interoperability to digital asset settlement. Fully backed 1:1 by U.S. dollar reserves held with leading regulated UAE banks, USDU supports institutional confidence and operational resilience across digital asset markets. For more information, visit universal.ae.
Universal Digital Intl Limited is regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority to conduct the regulated activity of issuing a Fiat-Referenced Token to Professional Clients only. Universal is also registered with the Central Bank of the UAE as a Foreign Payment Token Issuer under the Payment Token Services Regulation. USDU is not positioned as a general-purpose domestic payment instrument in the UAE.
This communication is provided for information purposes only and is intended for Professional Clients only. It does not constitute, and should not be construed as, a direct or indirect offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for, any securities or any other product.
MultiBank Group, one of the world’s largest financial derivatives institutions, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Universal Digital Intl Limited (“Universal”) to develop settlement capabilities using USDU, Universal’s US dollar-backed stablecoin, for eligible institutional digital asset transactions.
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike hit one of the main hospitals still operating in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing six people, including a surgeon and a 13-year-old boy, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
The Israeli military said the strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza was targeting a Hamas commander and other militants, without providing evidence. The commander it identified was not among the dead.
The strike hit the hospital's surgical wing, the ministry and witnesses said. Footage showed several wards and operating rooms heavily damaged or destroyed, with debris scattered across hospital beds and equipment and rebar dangling from holes in the ceiling. At least 28 people were wounded.
Among the dead were Dr. Rizk Abu Shaira, a general surgeon, and at least two patients, one of them the 13-year-old, according to the ministry.
Gaza's healthcare infrastructure has been decimated by a yearslong war. The Israeli military has raided or laid siege to hospitals across the territory, accusing Hamas of using them as command centers and to hide fighters. Israel has also destroyed medical equipment and supplies and killed or detained hundreds of healthcare workers.
British surgeon Goher Rahbour, who is volunteering at Nasser Hospital, said that the strike occurred just after midnight and shook the whole building.
“It was extremely smoky,” said Rahbour, who was on the fourth floor of the surgical department at the time. The recovery area on the same floor was reduced to rubble, he said.
He said he had been operating alongside Abu Shaira just hours before the strike. “Lovely guy, happy and smiling,” Rahbour said.
Ahmed al-Farra, a doctor and the general director of the hospital, said no warning came before the attack. He said surgeries had been suspended, as had work in the radiology department and the laboratory, because of damage to the building where medical personnel were already struggling to provide care due to supply shortages and “miserable” conditions.
He said other nearby medical facilities were not equipped to do the type of “specialized surgeries” that Nasser Hospital had been providing, leaving patients in need of them to “face an unknown fate.”
He said an attack on a hospital should be met with a forceful response from the international community. “Imagine if this event happened in another country in the world. Would the world fall silent about it? No, by God, no.”
“No one’s safe here,” he added, switching from Arabic to English.
A report from the United Nations, World Bank and European Union said in April that more than 1,800 medical facilities in Gaza have been partially or completely destroyed since the conflict began.
Israeli forces have previously attacked Nasser Hospital. In 2025, the military killed 22 people when it struck a gathering point for local reporters at the complex. Among the dead were five journalists, including Mariam Dagga, who worked for The Associated Press.
In armed conflict, hospitals and their staff are protected under international humanitarian law. A hospital can lose its protected status, however, if it is used for military purposes.
Hamas security men have been seen in hospitals during the war, controlling access to certain areas. In a statement on Thursday, the military said Hamas had “established a presence within the hospital complex” and that the commander had turned it “into a headquarters.”
The war in Gaza started on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Since then, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 74,600 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records, and its figures are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its toll but says women and children make up around half the dead.
Israel has continued to strike Gaza despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire and controls at least 60% of the enclave. Since the truce went into effect in October 2025, Israeli strikes and gunfire have killed 1,622 people, health authorities say. Five Israeli soldiers have also been killed during that period.
Ezzidin reported from Cairo.
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
People look at remnants of an Israeli projectile after an overnight airstrike hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A medical staff member salvages medical equipment at Nasser Hospital after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike overnight in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
People inspect damage to Nasser Hospital after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike overnight in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Mourners carry the bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Medical staff inspect damage to Nasser Hospital after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike overnight in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
People walk at Nasser Hospital after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike overnight in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Mourners attend the funeral of Khalid Abu Anza, 53, who was killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians inspect damage to a building and tents a day after they were hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians inspect their damaged tent a day after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
