ADI Chain is an Ethereum Layer-2 network built for governments, banks, and enterprises in emerging markets. It hosts the first dirham-backed stablecoin licensed by the UAE Central Bank, runs on the only public chain currently using zkSync’s Airbender prover, and has 50+ projects queued for mainnet. This article covers what ADI Chain is, the latest project news, and how to buy ADI on MEXC.
What Is ADI Chain?
ADI Chain is a modular, EVM-compatible Layer-2 secured by Ethereum. It uses zkSync’s open zkStack and the Airbender prover to deliver up to 15,000 TPS with 0.2-second block times. ADI Chain is the first and only public blockchain running Airbender, which uses GPUs to generate zero-knowledge proofs.
The network is built on one vision: institutional trust, open to everyone. That focus shapes its design:
- Jurisdictional compliance through the ADGM regulatory framework
- Custom L3 domains turn ADI Chain into a modular institutional network, where banks, enterprises, and governments can build dedicated on-chain environments for real-world use cases.
- Custom gas token support, with $ADI as the native gas asset
ADI Chain is run by the ADI Foundation, an Abu Dhabi-based non-profit founded by Sirius International Holding, the digital arm of IHC, a $240 billion holding company. The Foundation’s goal: bring one billion people on-chain by 2030, starting in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
How ADI Chain Works
ADI Chain executes transactions off-chain, generates zero-knowledge proofs of validity, and finalizes the state on Ethereum. The architecture has three layers:
- Ethereum L1: settlement and security
- ADI Chain L2: high-throughput execution and proof generation via Airbender
- L3 domains: customized environments where institutions enforce their own compliance rules while staying interoperable with the L2
A bank, a national land registry, and a remittance provider can each run their own L3 with their own policy stack, all settling back to ADI Chain.
ADI Token Utility
$ADI is the native asset across the entire ADI Chain ecosystem.
- Gas: $ADI pays for every transaction on ADI Chain L2 and connected L3s, including all stablecoin transfers.
- Settlement: Medium of exchange between developers, validators, and institutions.
- Ecosystem utility: One asset tying together network usage, infrastructure participation, and application-level demand.
Recent ADI Chain News
Dirham-backed stablecoin DDSC goes live (Feb 12, 2026). DDSC launched as a stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the UAE Dirham, initiated by IHC and First Abu Dhabi Bank, with Sirius International Holding supporting deployment, and licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE. ADI Chain provides the settlement infrastructure for this stablecoin, and every transaction settles on the network using $ADI for gas. The use cases are exactly what regulated finance has been waiting for on-chain: institutional payments, treasury management, settlement, trade flows, and programmable financial services. The stablecoin was designed for institutional use, payments, and cross-border settlement. That alignment between a licensed dirham and the chain it lives on is what turns the ADI Chain from infrastructure into a working settlement layer for the region.
ADI Foundation x Chainlink (Mar 5, 2026). ADI Foundation and Chainlink announced a strategic partnership, making Chainlink the canonical oracle and cross-chain infrastructure provider for ADI Chain. The integration includes Chainlink CCIP to enable secure asset transfers between ADI Chain and major blockchain ecosystems, plus three pillars layered on top: Chainlink’s decentralized oracle network providing price data and reserve transparency for stablecoins on ADI Chain, data infrastructure delivering net asset value verification and off-chain connectivity for tokenized securities and funds, and high-frequency market data powering institutional trading on the network.
ADI Predictstreet named FIFA World Cup 2026 Prediction Market Partner (Apr 2, 2026). ADI Chain announced ADI Predictstreet, the first consumer-facing application built on the network, and the accompanying deal: a multi-year partnership with FIFA as the first-ever Official Partner for the prediction market category at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The tournament will feature 48 teams and 104 matches across 16 Host Cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, engaging an anticipated global audience of billions. FIFA bypassed established prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket to make ADI Predictstreet its first partner in the category. ADI Chain just proved it can host a consumer application built for global scale, on the same infrastructure designed to settle central-bank-licensed stablecoins.
BNY, Finstreet, and ADI Foundation announce digital asset custody collaboration (May 7, 2026). BNY, the world’s largest custodian with $59.4 trillion in assets under custody and administration, announced a strategic collaboration with Finstreet Limited and ADI Foundation to offer regulated, institutional-grade digital asset custody anchored in the Abu Dhabi Global Market. BNY’s involvement carries added weight because of the bank’s scale and role in traditional finance. The collaboration will initially focus on Bitcoin and Ethereum custody for Finstreet’s clients, with plans to extend to stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets, and ADI Foundation’s underlying blockchain rails.
Why ADI Chain Matters
Most Layer-2s compete for DeFi traders. ADI Chain is doing something different: building infrastructure for governments and institutions to bring real economies on-chain, with compliance handled at the jurisdiction and L3 level.
That positioning shows up in the pipeline. ADI Chain has 50+ enterprise and government projects queued for mainnet, spanning payments, identity, real estate, and public-sector infrastructure across the UAE, broader MENA, Africa, and Asia.
How to Buy $ADI on MEXC
- Create a MEXC account and complete account verification.
- Deposit funds: USDT or another supported asset into your spot wallet.
- Search ADI on Spot trading and select the ADI/USDT pair.
- Place an order: market for instant fill, limit for a target price.
- Manage your assets: hold or trade based on your strategy.
About ADI Foundation
ADI Foundation is an Abu Dhabi-based non-profit founded by Sirius International Holding, a subsidiary of IHC, with a mission to bring one billion people into the digital economy by 2030.
At the core of its infrastructure is ADI Chain, the first institutional-grade Ethereum Layer 2 for stablecoins and real-world assets in the MENA region, built on three pillars of Regulation, Compliance, and Efficiency to serve governments, banks, and enterprises. Its programmable Layer 3 architecture lets institutions deploy sovereign, application-specific chains with custom compliance, privacy, and governance parameters.
ADI Chain powers DDSC, a UAE Central Bank-licensed dirham-backed stablecoin (1:1 AED) initiated by IHC and First Abu Dhabi Bank, with $ADI serving as the native gas token across all on-chain operations.
ADI Foundation extends its reach to consumers worldwide through ADI Predictstreet, the official prediction market partner of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the first consumer-facing application on ADI Chain, powered by the $ADI token.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell securities. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should conduct thorough due diligence and consult qualified financial advisors before making investment decisions.