UAE Drops AED 5,000 Salary Requirement for Personal Loans

Banks in the UAE have dropped the AED 5,000 minimum salary requirement for personal loans. The change allows lenders to rely on internal risk models, verified income data and the Wage Protection System (WPS) rather than a fixed salary floor. Under the revised framework, standard macro-prudential limits remain in place, including caps on loan size, maximum term length and installment-to-income ratio, ensuring borrower risk remains contained. The removal of the salary floor means workers earning below AED 5,000 per month — a segment previously excluded from mainstream credit — may now access regulated personal loans and begin building formal credit records, which in turn could improve their future access to auto loans or housing finance.