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The number of cards in circulation rises healthily and steadily
Financial cards and payments in the United Arab Emirates continued to grow in terms of the number of cards in circulation in 2025. Circulation increased in the market due to the expansion of credit, debit and pre-paid cards, which benefited from factors like payroll distribution, digital wallets and cashless payment adoption. Travel and tourism recovery and a heavy daily reliance on transportation and retail pre-paid cards, such as Road & Transport Authority (RTA)’s Nol card, further boosted card numbers, although some smaller issuers struggled to grow.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Financial Cards and Payments industry in United Arab Emirates with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
If you're in the Financial Cards and Payments industry in United Arab Emirates, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Financial Cards and Payments in United Arab Emirates report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Financial Cards and Payments in United Arab Emirates?
- What are the major trends key to understanding Financial Cards and Payments in United Arab Emirates?
- How has COVID-19, recession and macroeconomic volatility impacted the market?
- How long will the market take to recover? What are the opportunities now?
- How will political context and shifting cultural values shape future growth?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
Financial Cards and Payments in the United Arab Emirates - Industry Overview
The number of cards in circulation rises healthily and steadily
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Credit cards and pre-paid cards gain momentum while debit cards remain popular
Stronger fintech activity spurs usage
Leading players leverage ecosystems as smaller players struggle
Bright outlook for most types of financial cards
Company and government activities to increase the penetration of financial cards
E-commerce to hasten financial card use
RTA benefits from strong integration and tourism recovery to consolidate its position as the leading issuer
Visa benefits from strong growth in financial cards and partnerships
Table 1 Number of POS Terminals: Units 2020-2025
Table 2 Number of ATMs: Units 2020-2025
Table 3 Value Lost to Fraud 2020-2025
Table 4 Card Expenditure by Location 2025
Table 5 Financial Cards in Circulation by Type: % Number of Cards 2020-2025
Table 6 Domestic versus Foreign Spend 2025
Table 7 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 8 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Accounts 2020-2025
Table 9 Financial Cards Transactions by Category: Value 2020-2025
Table 10 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 11 Consumer Payments by Category: Value 2020-2025
Table 12 Consumer Payments by Category: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 13 M-Commerce by Category: Value 2020-2025
Table 14 M-Commerce by Category: % Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 15 Financial Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 16 Financial Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 17 Financial Cards: Card Payment Transactions Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 18 Financial Cards: Card Payment Transactions Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 19 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 20 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Accounts 2025-2030
Table 21 Forecast Financial Cards Transactions by Category: Value 2025-2030
Table 22 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 23 Forecast Consumer Payments by Category: Value 2025-2030
Table 24 Forecast Consumer Payments by Category: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 25 Forecast M-Commerce by Category: Value 2025-2030
Table 26 Forecast M-Commerce by Category: % Value Growth 2025-2030
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
Summary 1 Research Sources
Charge Cards in the United Arab Emirates - Category analysis
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Charge cards continues to face challenges
Shift to credit cards hits the use of personal charge cards
Commercial charge cards lead the category
Charge cards in circulation and transaction volumes to fall amidst a shift to credit cards
American Express to continue to shape the competitive landscape
Players to employ strategic positioning to sustain growth
American Express is streets ahead of rivals
Majid Al Futtaim Finance’s cobranded cards gain traction
Table 27 Charge Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 28 Charge Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 29 Charge Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 30 Charge Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 31 Commercial Charge Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 32 Commercial Charge Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 33 Commercial Charge Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 34 Commercial Charge Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 35 Personal Charge Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 36 Personal Charge Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 37 Personal Charge Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 38 Personal Charge Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 39 Charge Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 40 Charge Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 41 Charge Cards Payment Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 42 Charge Cards Payment Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 43 Commercial Charge Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 44 Commercial Charge Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 45 Commercial Charge Cards Payment Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 46 Commercial Charge Cards Payment Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 47 Personal Charge Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 48 Personal Charge Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 49 Personal Charge Cards Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 50 Personal Charge Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 51 Forecast Charge Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 52 Forecast Charge Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 53 Forecast Charge Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 54 Forecast Charge Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 55 Forecast Commercial Charge Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 56 Forecast Commercial Charge Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 57 Forecast Commercial Charge Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 58 Forecast Commercial Charge Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 59 Forecast Personal Charge Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 60 Forecast Personal Charge Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 61 Forecast Personal Charge Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 62 Forecast Personal Charge Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Credit Cards in the United Arab Emirates - Category analysis
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Targeted activities help to widen the base of credit card users
Lifestyle spending stimulates credit card use
Fertile ground for credit cards in the United Arab Emirates
Ongoing shift to cashless society, rising consumer confidence and incentives to grow the possession and use of credit cards
Innovations and lifestyle-linked products to drive growth opportunities
Regulatory changes may impact credit card use
Visa and First Abu Dhabi Bank invest in their credit card portfolios
Mastercard International innovates while Emirates NBD leverages a strong and diversified offer
Table 63 Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 64 Credit Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 65 Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 66 Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 67 Commercial Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 68 Commercial Credit Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 69 Commercial Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 70 Commercial Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 71 Personal Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 72 Personal Credit Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 73 Personal Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 74 Personal Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 75 Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 76 Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 77 Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 78 Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 79 Commercial Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 80 Commercial Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 81 Commercial Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 82 Commercial Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 83 Personal Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 84 Personal Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 85 Personal Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 86 Personal Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 87 Forecast Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 88 Forecast Credit Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 89 Forecast Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 90 Forecast Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 91 Forecast Commercial Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 92 Forecast Commercial Credit Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 93 Forecast Commercial Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 94 Forecast Commercial Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 95 Forecast Personal Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 96 Forecast Personal Credit Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 97 Forecast Personal Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 98 Forecast Personal Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Debit Cards in the United Arab Emirates - Category analysis
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Demographic, digital and infrastructure developments boost debit cards
Digitalisation spurs debit card usage
A strong share of the population remains unbanked or underserved
Debit card usage is set to rise over the forecast period
Transaction value per card may slow as frequency increases
Banks to invest in security, digital features and loyalty to stay competitive
Visa and First Abu Dhabi Bank enjoy wide coverage to lead
Emirates NBD and Mastercard International invest in strategic direction
Table 99 Debit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 100 Debit Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 101 Debit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 102 Debit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 103 Debit Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 104 Debit Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 105 Debit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 106 Debit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 107 Forecast Debit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 108 Forecast Debit Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 109 Forecast Debit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 110 Forecast Debit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Pre-Paid Cards in the United Arab Emirates - Category analysis
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Pre-paid cards cater to a wide range of needs
Greater uptake and use of closed loop and open loop pre-paid cards
Pre-paid integration through digitalisation
Closed and open loop pre-paid cards to gain momentum as daily payment tools
Focus on micro pre-paid card transactions
Learning the pre-paid function early
RTA dominates closed loop pre-paid cards with transportation cards
Visa leverages wide acceptance and partner networks while First Abu Dhabi Bank’s strong offer appeals to personal and commercial users
Table 111 Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 112 Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 113 Pre-paid Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 114 Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 115 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 116 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 117 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 118 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 119 Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 120 Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 121 Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 122 Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 123 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 124 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 125 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 126 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 127 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 128 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 129 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 130 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 131 Forecast Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 132 Forecast Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 133 Forecast Pre-paid Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 134 Forecast Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 135 Forecast Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 136 Forecast Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 137 Forecast Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 138 Forecast Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Store Cards in the United Arab Emirates - Category analysis
Store cards is beset by weak circulation
Some call for store cards but usage fragments and falls further
Large retailers continue to invest in store cards
Ongoing shift to payment alternatives to dampen store card use
Store cards to remain characterised by small-ticket purchases
Focus on digitalisation and loyalty to maintain interest in store cards
Retail is the bedrock of store cards
Table 139 Store Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 140 Store Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 141 Store Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 142 Store Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 143 Store Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 144 Store Cards: Payment Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 145 Forecast Store Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 146 Forecast Store Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 147 Forecast Store Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 148 Forecast Store Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Financial Cards and Payments
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- ATM Cards
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- Commercial Charge Cards
- Personal Charge Cards
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- Commercial Credit Cards
- Personal Credit Cards
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- Commercial Debit Cards
- Personal Debit Cards
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- Closed Loop Pre-Paid Cards
- Open Loop Pre-Paid Cards
- Store Cards
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- ATM Transactions
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- Commercial Charge Card Transactions
- Personal Charge Card Transactions
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- Commercial Credit Card Transactions
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- Average Personal Credit Card Balance
- Average Personal Credit Card Limit
- Personal Credit Card Utilisation
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- Commercial Debit Card Transactions
- Personal Debit Card Transactions
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- Closed Loop Pre-Paid Card Transactions
- Open Loop Pre-Paid Card Transactions
- Store Card Transactions
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- Commercial Card Payment Transactions
- Commercial Electronic Direct/ACH Transactions
- Commercial Paper Payment Transactions
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- Personal Card Payment Transactions
- Personal Electronic Direct/ACH Transactions
- Personal Paper Payment Transactions
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- Commercial Electronic Direct/ACH Transactions
- Personal Electronic Direct/ACH Transactions
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- Commercial Cash Transactions
- Commercial Other Paper Transactions
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- Personal Cash Transactions
- Personal Other Paper Transactions
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- Mobile Proximity Payments
- Mobile Remote Payments
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Financial Cards and Payments
Payments are tracked based on the country of residence / account issuance and include outbound spend while excluding inbound spend.
See all of our definitions
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