A UAE merchant account enables businesses to accept card payments. Here is the complete 2025 guide to UAE merchant accounts.
What is a UAE Merchant Account?
A UAE merchant account is a type of bank account held by a business that allows it to accept debit card, credit card, and contactless payments from customers. The merchant account is where card payment proceeds are initially deposited (before being swept to the business current account). Required to accept: Visa, Mastercard, American Express cards in person (POS terminal) or online (payment gateway). Not required for: cash transactions, UAE bank transfers, cheque payments.
How to Get a UAE Merchant Account
Through your UAE bank: most UAE banks (Emirates NBD, FAB, ADCB, RAKBANK, Mashreq) offer merchant accounts as part of their business banking suite. Process: apply at your bank branch or online, provide trade licence, Emirates ID, and bank statements. Bank installs a POS terminal (owned or rented). Settlement: typically T+1 (next day) or T+2 into your business account. Through an independent payment processor: Network International (NI) — dominant UAE independent payment processor. Accepts applications from UAE businesses (with UAE trade licence). Competitive processing fees. Newer players: Tap Payments, Checkout.com, Stripe (all available in UAE).
UAE Merchant Account Fees
MDR (Merchant Discount Rate): the percentage charged on each card transaction. Typical UAE MDR: 1.5-2.5% for domestic debit card transactions. 2.0-3.5% for international credit cards (Visa/Mastercard). 3.0-4.0% for American Express. Monthly terminal rental: AED 100-250/month for POS terminal rental from the bank. Wio Bank merchant solution: competitive flat-rate MDR, digital-first setup. PayFort/Amazon Payment Services: monthly fee + per-transaction fee structure. For online payments: expect gateway fees of 2.5-3.5% for most UAE providers.