In a landmark ruling, the Dubai Court of First Instance has said that salary payments can be made in cryptocurrency as valid under United Arab Emirates (UAE) employment contracts.
The ruling, issued in case number 1739 of 2024 (labour), involved an employee who claimed unpaid wages, wrongful termination compensation, and other related employment benefits. The employment contract said that 5,250 EcoWatt tokens in addition to fiat money would be paid.
According to a report by the Wasel & Wasel law firm, the employer was unable to provide any proof of payment; thus, the court decided in the employee’s favor and ordered the employer to pay the outstanding salary in EcoWatt tokens for the service.