The UAE has built a modern digital payments infrastructure. Here is a guide to the UAE’s instant payment systems and digital payment landscape in 2025.
An (The UAE Instant Payment Platform)
An is the UAE’s domestic instant payment platform, launched by the CBUAE (Central Bank of the UAE) as part of the UAE Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FIT) Programme. An allows: instant transfers between UAE bank accounts (24/7, including weekends), transfers by mobile number (not just account number + IBAN), person-to-person (P2P) transfers, and person-to-business (P2B) transfers. Timeline: An was launched in phases from 2023-2024. By 2025, all major UAE banks are participants in the An network. Transaction limits: set by individual banks (typically AED 100,000 per transaction for retail customers). Use cases: splitting bills, paying family members, paying small businesses. An replaced older wire transfer methods (which took 1-2 business days for domestic transfers).
UAE Card Payment Infrastructure
UAE card infrastructure: Visa and Mastercard: dominant card networks in the UAE. American Express: strong presence in the premium segment. UAE local schemes: there is no UAE-specific card scheme (unlike Saudi Arabia’s mada). NAPS (National Automated Payments System): the CBUAE’s interbank settlement system for large-value UAE transfers (used by banks for settling interbank transactions). UAEFTS (UAE Funds Transfer System): real-time gross settlement for large-value corporate and bank transfers. NFC/Contactless: UAE has very high NFC contactless payment adoption (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay all active).