The UAE is home to over 200 nationalities. The citizens (called Emiratis) constitute roughly 20% of the total population, making UAE home to one of the world’s highest percentage of immigrants.
Exchange Houses
Tips & Tricks
Bank Transfer


Cryptocurrency
- Create an account with a crypto exchange which lets you fund in AED (e.g. Bitoasis)
- Fund your account
- Create an account with your destination country (e.g. Coinbase for USD)
- Buy any crypto which can be transferred quickly to another account
- Transfer crypto to your destination account
- Sell crypto to get destination currency
- Withdraw to bank account
- You will hold the crypto for 5 min to 30 min. You are exposed to volatility during this period.
- There might be tax implications in your country of destination.
E-transfer / App-based transfers
Bottomline
Of the four methods discussed, there is no single winner. Your choice will depend on the four factors – convenience, transfer speed, exchange rates and the size of transfer.
Hi. This is a very helpful article. When I lived/worked in Dubai (2012-2013) reliable money transfer options were scarce. I opted for Emirates NBD even with the higher (to USD) rates because, as you aptly pointed out, no upper limit and reliability. As I was repatriating back to the US, app-based remittance processes were just taking shape. Former colleagues still in the UAE continue to stress over the best way to remit money back to their home/local banks; I’ll definitely be passing your helpful hints onward to them. Thanks again!
Thank you. Really appreciate your comment.