The Central Bank of UAE on Thursday, March 27, 2025 unveiled the new symbol for the UAE’s national currency in its physical and digital forms also called Dirham Icon or Dirham Logo.
The letter was chosen, derived from the English name of the Dirham, to serve as an international symbol representing the nation’s currency, incorporating two horizontal lines that embody the stability of the UAE dirham and inspired by the UAE flag, to enhance financial and monetary stability.
On the other hand, the Digital Dirham symbol features a circle surrounding the physical currency symbol, using the colours of the UAE flag to reflect pride and national identity. The symbol choice serves as evidence of the national currency’s global reach and openness to a more prosperous future, and commitment to developing an innovative local financial ecosystem with a global perspective.
The CBUAE also announced the progress of the Issuance and Circulation of the Digital Dirham, a key initiative of the Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FIT) Programmed launched by the CBUAE in 2023, aiming to bolster the UAE’s position as a pioneer in Financial Market Infrastructure (FMI) and a destination for excellence in financial products innovation and digitalization.
The CBUAE issues the “Digital Dirham” as a digital version of the UAE’s national currency, characterised by high levels of security and efficiency, contributing to reduced costs of payments through its reliance on blockchain technology, which by its technical design insures effective risk management, data protection/privacy, and atomic transaction completion. Individuals and businesses will be able to obtain the Digital Dirham through licensed financial institutions, such as banks, exchange houses, finance companies and fintech companies, according to the use cases that will be activated. The issuance of the Digital Dirham is expected to take place in the last quarter of the year 2025 for retail sector.
Earlier this week, UAE Central
