What is the best way to move money in the UAE?

There is no single best method — the right option depends on whether you are sending money abroad, paying someone domestically, or setting up a new account. Options include digital remittance apps (Wise, Remitly), UAE exchange houses (Al Ansari, Lulu Exchange, Al Fardan), bank app transfers, Aani instant domestic payments, and contactless card payments. remit.ae does not recommend any specific provider without verified comparative data.

What is the Digital Dirham?

The Digital Dirham is the UAE Central Bank's (CBUAE) retail and wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC), operating on a two-tier model. The first government transaction was completed on 11 November 2025. As of June 2026, the retail consumer wallet is not confirmed as broadly available to the public. For current status, check the CBUAE official website.

What is Open Finance in the UAE?

The UAE Open Finance Regulation was published by the CBUAE in April 2024 (revised in Circular No. 03/2025). It establishes a mandatory framework for licensed banks and insurers to share financial data and enable payment initiation with customer consent — the legal basis for pay-by-bank in the UAE. remit.ae does not have Open Finance API access or integration.

Can tourists open a bank account in the UAE?

Yes. On 30 April 2026, CBUAE, ICP, and ADCB launched the Tourist Identity initiative, enabling biometric onboarding on arrival for a bank account and digital debit card in minutes, connected to Jaywan and Aani. remit.ae does not open bank accounts — contact ADCB or check CBUAE guidance directly.

UAE Money Movement Guide

Q: What is Aani in the UAE?

Aani is a domestic UAE instant payment system operated by Al Etihad Payments (a CBUAE subsidiary). It enables instant AED transfers by mobile number, request-to-pay, bill splitting, and QR payments — domestic UAE only, AED only, up to AED 50,000 per transaction. It launched in October 2023. Aani is not an international remittance service.

Remittance, exchange houses, bank apps, Aani, Digital Dirham, Open Finance, tourist banking — all in one place.

How does money movement work in the UAE?

Money in the UAE moves through several distinct channels: (1) International remittance via digital apps (Wise, Remitly, Western Union) or UAE exchange houses (Al Ansari, Lulu Exchange, Al Fardan) for cross-border transfers; (2) Aani instant domestic AED transfers by mobile number, operated by Al Etihad Payments; (3) Bank app transfers for account-to-account domestic and international; (4) Contactless card payments using Visa, Mastercard, or the national Jaywan scheme; (5) Cash pickup for corridors needing in-person collection. remit.ae is an independent comparison platform — it does not transfer money or hold funds.

What are you trying to do?

Select to find the most relevant guide. remit.ae does not transfer money or provide financial advice.

remit.ae is an independent comparison platform. We do not transfer money, hold funds, or provide regulated financial advice.

Domains covered on remit.ae

International Remittance

AED to INR, PKR, PHP and other corridors. Compare digital apps and exchange houses.

Exchange Houses UAE

Al Ansari, Lulu Exchange, Al Fardan and other CBUAE-licensed exchange houses.

Bank Apps

Emirates NBD, FAB, Mashreq, ADCB — how bank transfers compare.

Aani Instant Payments

Domestic AED instant transfers. Mobile-number proxy, QR, request-to-pay.

Cashless Payments

Contactless cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, QR — Dubai Cashless Strategy context.

Open Finance / Pay by Bank

CBUAE Open Finance Regulation — the basis for pay-by-bank in the UAE.

New Resident Money Setup

First 30 days: bank account, WPS context, remittance setup.

Tourist Banking

Tourist Identity initiative — account + card on arrival (ADCB/CBUAE/ICP).

Instant Payments UAE

Aani, bank apps, QR, request-to-pay — all UAE instant payment options.

Bank App Transfer UAE

Domestic and international bank app transfers, WPS salary context.

Provider Profiles

Wise, Remitly, Western Union, MoneyGram, Al Ansari, Lulu Exchange — how each service works in UAE.

City Corridors

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah remittance guides by city and destination.

UAE Digital Money Status

Source-verified context — not live data

Aani — Instant Payments

Live — Domestic

Aani is a domestic AED instant payment system operated by Al Etihad Payments (a CBUAE subsidiary). It enables instant transfers by mobile number, request-to-pay, bill splitting, and QR payments — domestic UAE only, AED only, up to AED 50,000.

Aani is domestic UAE only — it cannot be used to send money internationally. remit.ae does not integrate with Aani.

Source: Al Etihad Payments / CBUAE. Launched October 2023.

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Digital Dirham — UAE CBDC

Status: Unconfirmed

The Digital Dirham is the UAE Central Bank's retail and wholesale CBDC, operating on a two-tier intermediated model. The first government transaction was executed on 11 November 2025 (Ministry of Finance + Dubai Finance). Designed for P2P, UAE Pass integration, and cross-border corridors.

Retail consumer wallet availability as of June 2026: not confirmed as broadly live. remit.ae does not integrate with the Digital Dirham. Do not rely on this as a confirmed retail launch date.

Source: CBUAE / Ministry of Finance. Status as of June 2026 — verify current status at centralbank.ae.

Open Finance — UAE Regulation

Regulation Live

The CBUAE Open Finance Regulation (published 15 April 2024, revised Circular No. 03/2025) establishes a mandatory Trust Framework and API Hub for licensed institutions. This is the legal foundation for pay-by-bank and consent-based financial data sharing in the UAE.

Open Finance is a regulatory framework — not a consumer product launched broadly. remit.ae does not have Open Finance API access or integration. Consumer-facing pay-by-bank products may not yet be widely available.

Source: CBUAE Open Finance Regulation, April 2024. Circular 03/2025.

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Jaywan — National Card Scheme

Context / Reference

Jaywan is the UAE's national domestic card scheme operated by Al Etihad Payments. A Mastercard co-badge collaboration was announced in 2025. The ADCB Tourist Identity debit card (April 2026) is connected to Jaywan and Aani.

Jaywan context only — remit.ae does not process card payments. Acceptance breadth data requires current official source.

Source: Al Etihad Payments / CBUAE. Mastercard collaboration 2025.

Tourist Identity — Banking for Visitors

Live — Domestic

On 30 April 2026, CBUAE, ICP, and ADCB launched the Tourist Identity initiative, enabling biometric/facial onboarding on arrival for a bank account and debit card in minutes. Connected to Jaywan and Aani.

remit.ae does not open bank accounts. This service is provided by ADCB and other participating institutions under the CBUAE / ICP initiative.

Source: CBUAE + ICP + ADCB. Launch: 30 April 2026.

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remit.ae is an independent information platform. We do not integrate with Aani, Digital Dirham, Open Finance, or Jaywan. All information is sourced from official bodies and labeled with source and date. Always verify current status at the official source.

Popular remittance corridors

Rates shown by providers are indicative — always verify the final rate and fee before sending.

Important: remit.ae does not transfer money. Rates, fees, delivery times and recipient amounts may change. Always verify the final details with the provider before sending money. Read disclaimer.

Data status: All content on this page is editorial or sourced from official bodies (CBUAE, Al Etihad Payments, UAE Government). No live rates. No integration with any payment system. Always verify current status at the official source. Methodology · Data freshness policy