Dubai has big plans to become a cashless city this year.
The Dubai cashless strategy will eventually mean that all payments in the city, across the government and private sectors, will go digital.
The initiative, first announced in October 2024, aims to ditch notes and coins for digital payments throughout the emirate.
Cashless transactions are expected to account for around 90 per cent of all transactions by the end of this year, potentially boosting economic growth by over Dhs8 billion annually.
Becoming cashless does not mean that money will be abandoned altogether, but instead, payments will be digital, with banking apps and credit cards currently the main way to pay without physical notes or coins.
You might also like: 6 things tourists should know as Dubai goes cashless in 2026
The strategy will also prioritise innovations in digital payments, including AI-driven solutions and contactless technologies to offer even more ways to pay.
Dubai Finance has announced a wide-ranging awareness and promotional campaign to implement the Cashless Strategy, with the aim of making up to 90 percent of government and private sector transactions cashless by the end of 2026.
Dubai Cashless Strategy
90% of all financial transactions across the public and private sectors in Dubai will be cashless by the end of 2026 pic.twitter.com/Cxp1wwCCWf
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) January 6, 2026
How Dubai plans to go cashless
One of the biggest plans to go cashless in Dubai will come with the upgrade of Dubai’s nol card system at the start of 2027.
The system is set to switch from its existing card-based ticketing system to a digital payment system powered by account-based ticketing at the start of next year.
The cashless strategy is also aimed towards tourists visiting the city.
Earlier this year, the Central Bank of the UAE launched an initiative which will allow tourists to instantly open digital bank accounts upon arrival in the country.
Aiming to reduce cash reliance for visitors, the Tourist Identity initiative will allow tourists to open a bank account within minutes of landing in the UAE and will provide immediate access to essential banking services, including digital debit cards for instant use.
It will also allow tourists to use the UAE’s Jaywan domestic card programme in addition to making payments and transfers possible through the Aani system.
Previously, Emirates and flydubai signed a deal to encourage digital payments from typically cash-reliant international tourists in the city.
The two airlines will target tourists and travellers with initiatives that aim to make digital payments more inclusive for visitors.
In 2025, DIFC and Dubai Finance agreed on a deal to lead specialised workshops to help businesses make the switch. The collab will also bring AI-driven initiatives that add value for workers, tourists and the broader community by adopting digital payments.
The city plans for 100 percent of transactions to eventually be paperless, which means that bartering at the souq with notes or rummaging around the back of the sofa for long-lost change could soon be a thing of the past.
Dubai’s Cashless Strategy
The Dubai Cashless Strategy was initially announced on Tuesday October 1 2024, following a meeting of the Executive Council of Dubai.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, chaired that meeting, outlining that the city aims to become one of the top five cashless cities in the world.
.@HamdanMohammed chairs @TECofDubai‘s meeting; approves the Education Strategy 2033, the Real Estate Strategy 2033 and Dubai Cashless Strategy. pic.twitter.com/WKarLMvBmt
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 1, 2024
Dubai has also outlined that it wants to make a range of financial technology services available to people in the city.
The plan to make the switch to becoming cashless has been brought about with consumers, payment service providers and merchants in mind, with the move set to have a wider benefit of convenience and speedier payments throughout the emirate.
At the meeting, the city also discussed its overarching real estate strategies, plans for education and the future of transport in Dubai.
If you’ve got some spare pennies and have no idea what to do with them, then check out our guide on what to do with Dhs1 in Dubai.
Looking for things to do in Dubai?
112 best things to do in Dubai
Everything to tick off your Dubai bucket list
51 free things to do in Dubai
Feeling the pinch? Enter free things to do
14 Dubai restaurants where a table for two costs Dhs150
And I have the receipt breakdown to prove it
Leave a comment