The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has unveiled a new symbol for the UAE Dirham, marking a new era for the nation’s currency, under directives and ongoing support of the country’s leadership His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Board of the CBUAE, in strengthening the UAE's position as a leading global financial hub.

Why a new Dirham symbol?

The new Dirham symbol is designed to represent both stability and national pride, featuring two horizontal lines inspired by the UAE flag. It will be used across both physical and digital currency forms, ensuring a unified identity for the national currency on the global stage.

The Dirham currency symbol is inspired by the UAE flag, the design features two horizontal lines for stability and a circle for global reach, reflecting national pride and financial innovation.

The CBUAE also shared updates on the Digital Dirham, in line with its Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FIT) Programme. This initiative was launched in 2023 to bolster the country's rank as a leader in financial innovation, and making it a hub for cutting-edge digital finance and modern payment solutions.

Backed by the new federal law – Federal Decree-Law No. (54) of 2023 – the UAE's Digital Dirham ensures the currency is officially recognised as a form of digital payment, just like physical cash. This means it can be used across all payment outlets and channels in the UAE.

The Digital Dirham is a secure and efficient digital version of the UAE's currency. The digital Dirham is built on blockchain technology, and helps reduce payment costs while ensuring strong risk management, data protection, and instant transaction processing.

When and how the UAE's Digital Dirham can be used?

Individuals and businesses will be able to get the Digital Dirham through licensed banks, exchange houses, finance companies, and fintech firms, depending on how it will be used. Its rollout for the retail sector is expected in late 2025.

During the reveal, the CBUAE highlighted key benefits of the Digital Dirham, including:

• Tokenization – Enhances financial inclusion and efficiency by enabling digital asset fractionalization and expanding access to liquidity.
• Smart Contracts – Automates complex transactions, allowing instant settlements and seamless execution of multi-stage or multi-party agreements.

In addition to this, the CBUAE has created a secure and user-friendly platform for the Digital Dirham, including a Digital Dirham wallet - which allows seamless transactions such as retail and wholesale payments, money transfers, withdrawals, top-ups, and cross-border payments. 

This can be used by both individuals and businesses, ensuring a smooth and efficient user experience, following the best industry standards.

Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the CBUAE, said, "We are proud to unveil today the new symbol for the UAE's national currency the "Dirham" in both its physical and digital forms, and the design of the Digital Dirham wallet. This reflects the significant advancements in the implementation of the Digital Dirham programme and a leap towards realising the CBUAE’s vision."

"It is anticipated that the Digital Dirham as a blockchain based platform with cutting edge capabilities shall substantially enhance financial stability, inclusion, resilience, and combatting financial crime. It will further enable the development of innovative digital products, services, and new business models, while reducing cost and increasing access to international markets.” he explained. 

In February, Saudi Arabia also unveiled its official currency symbol for Riyal – here’s what it looks like.