Komainu, the Jersey-based digital asset custodian backed by Laser Digital and Blockstream, completed two-way transfers of a portfolio of digital assets with First Abu Dhabi Bank through the custody framework the two firms built, with transfers settling instantly, according to Komainu’s release of 3 November 2026. First Abu Dhabi Bank ran live US dollar payments with Citi on Swift’s new blockchain ledger on 2 September 2026, the first ledger transactions from the Middle East, as Fintechbits reported on 8 September. The Komainu FAB release does not name the assets or their value.

What the Komainu FAB framework is for

The transfers prove FAB can move digital assets into and out of a regulated, segregated custody environment linked to its existing systems. The framework is built to support lending backed by digital assets held in that custody, which is the commercial prize for a bank. Paul Frost-Smith, group managing director of Komainu, said “banks need digital asset infrastructure that meets the same standards as the rest of their business.”

The release is short on numbers. It does not say which digital assets moved, how large the portfolio was or when the transfers took place, only that they settled instantly. Komainu (Jersey) Limited is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission and Komainu MEA FZE by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, according to the release. The Komainu FAB setup lets a bank hold digital assets with a specialist custodian while keeping them visible to its own systems, which is what lending against them requires. The Komainu FAB release presents the deal as part of a growing focus at Komainu on working directly with banks.

The release places the work inside FAB’s wider digital assets programme, which includes tokenised deposits and the Swift ledger. Abu Dhabi has drawn a steady line of licensed digital asset firms, including Animoca Brands’ ADGM fund management move.