JaywanThe UAE's first domestic card scheme, mandated by the central bank to bring debit flows back home. It is co-badged with Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, and Discover for international use.Al Etihad Payments (AEP) (wholly owned subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE)) · since 2024More than 90% of the country's POS terminals accepted Jaywan at the end of 2024; the CBUAE identified 11 institutions as ready to issue (infographic dated July 23, 2025). Actual issuance was still limited in early 2026.
Global registry · Africa & Middle East · West Asia
United Arab Emirates Payment systems
10 systems listed.
CurrencyUAE dirham (AED)
Domestic schemeJaywan
RegulatorCentral Bank of the UAE (CBUAE)
Leading payment methods
CardsWallets (Apple Pay, Careem Pay)A2A (Aani)Cash (residual COD)
E-commerce shares
Cards · 55%Wallets · 30%Account-to-account · 5%Cash · 5%Buy now, pay later · 3%Other · 2%
Cards + Aani. About 88% of the population is expatriate, with high adoption of premium cards and NFC wallets. Aani (2023), the central bank's instant payment platform, and the domestic Jaywan card scheme are building the state's sovereignty over card payments.
Outbound remittances≈$38.5B (2023, No. 2 globally, World Bank)
Expatriate population≈88 %
A hub for remittance corridors to South Asia, among the largest flows in the world. Cash on delivery (COD), long the norm in Gulf e-commerce, is giving way to tokenized cards and BNPL (Tabby, Tamara).
IBAN · United Arab Emirates
23 characters56 bank codes438 BIC codes
- Total length
- 23 characters
- Bank code position
- 5–7
- BBAN structure
3!n16!n
Structurally valid example
AEcountry code07check digits033bank1234567890123456account
AE07 0331 2345 6789 0123 456
Learn about this market. The guides and courses that cover it.
Payments in the United Arab EmiratesPayments in East AfricaPayments in Portuguese-speaking and southern AfricaMobile money in AfricaPayments in West and Southern AfricaPayments in the CEMAC zoneAccepting payments in AfricaAccepting payments in Egypt and the MaghrebAccepting payments in the GulfCollecting payments in Kenya and East AfricaCollecting payments in Nigeria and West AfricaPayments in Africa: the continent that reinvented mobile money
Card schemes
Instant payments
AaniThe UAE’s instant payment rail, running on the Instant Payment Platform, ISO 20022-based and addressed by alias. The Jaywan domestic card scheme, launched in 2024 with the same sovereignty goal, complements it.Al Etihad Payments (subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE) · since 2023more than 12.5 million users (CBUAE / Gulf press, 2025)
Aani (Instant Payments Platform, IPP)The UAE’s national instant payment rail, with phone number aliases, Request-to-Pay, bill splitting, and merchant QR codes, and a pillar of the CBUAE’s FIT program.Al Etihad Payments (CBUAE) · since 202310 participants at launch; settlement in under 10 seconds, 24/7; limit of AED 50,000 per transfer (CBUAE / AEP, 2023–2025).
Clearing and settlement
ICCS (Image Cheque Clearing System)Check image clearing in the UAE, launched on July 12, 2008: the paper check is scanned, only the image and data move, and settlement is same-day. Checks remain a key form of security in the UAE (rent, trade credit, collateral), so ICCS is far from a legacy system. It is a live rail that the earlier UAE inventory left out.Central Bank of the UAE · since 2008
UAEDDS (UAE Direct Debit System)The UAE's direct debit system, introduced in October 2012. Mandates are registered with the central bank and cover fixed or variable amounts (bills, insurance premiums, loan installments). It was designed to replace the postdated checks that had served as a repayment guarantee with an electronic mandate. That regulatory purpose, not just a technical one, is its reason for being.Central Bank of the UAE · since 2012
Acquiring and processing
UAESWITCHThe UAE's national switch. It routes domestic interbank ATM and POS transactions, upstream of the international schemes and now Jaywan. It is one of the central bank's oldest systems and is routinely overshadowed by newer projects (Aani, Jaywan, the digital dirham), even though it still carries everyday cash withdrawals and card acceptance.Central Bank of the UAE
DPO Pay (formerly DPO Group / Direct Pay Online)Online acceptance provider operating in East and Southern Africa, now under the Network International brand. The original entry flagged the ownership chain (Network International, then Brookfield) for due diligence: only ownership by Network International is confirmed by a primary source; the move under Brookfield’s control is not confirmed here.Network International (the service now trades as “DPO Pay by Network”; the DPO acquisition was part of Network International’s 2016–2021 regional expansion phase, and its Africa headquarters is in Nairobi.)Claimed presence in more than 20 countries, with a country selector covering 11 markets (dpogroup.com, accessed August 2026)
Cross-border rails
Al Ansari ExchangeOne of the sending exchange houses on the Gulf–South Asia corridor, the world's largest by remittance volume (India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh). The sending side remains overwhelmingly physical (branches, cash, migrant worker payroll), while the receiving side is digital. That asymmetry explains the corridor's cost structure.Al Ansari Exchange LLC (UAE exchange house licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE, active in remittances, FX, prepaid cards, and employee payroll (WPS)) · since 1966More than 280 branches in the UAE, more than 3 million unique customers, and access to more than 500,000 bank or agent locations worldwide (Al Ansari Exchange, official website, accessed August 2026)
LuLu ExchangeA Gulf exchange house structured as a multi-country group and present at both ends of the Gulf–South Asia corridor: sending in the Middle East, payout in India and Southeast Asia. A model halfway between a traditional exchange bureau and a digital remittance operator.LuLu Financial Holdings (Abu Dhabi-based group operating in the Gulf, the Indian subcontinent, and Asia-Pacific under the LuLu Exchange, LuLu Forex, LuLu Money, and LuLu Financial Services brands)Networks reported by the group: 34 branches in Oman, 27 in India (LuLu Forex), 6 in the Philippines, and 5 in Hong Kong (LuLu Financial Holdings, official website, accessed August 2026)
Other
UAEFTS (UAE Funds Transfer System)The UAE’s RTGS, the settlement leg of Aani and the connection point to the regional AFAQ and Buna systems.Central Bank of the UAE · since 2001