UAE Announces New Dirham Symbol Amid Massive Digital Currency Shift

California-based Unicode - a non-profit organisation that develops and maintains the Universal Character Standard - has approved a new UAE Dirham symbol which will be integrated into operating systems, smartphones, computers, payment terminals and digital keyboards worldwide starting September 2026. According to the Central Bank of the UAE, the new symbol will appear on the number 6 key across all keyboard layouts and will be adopted by major tech companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung. Changes are likely to appear on newer devices first.

In addition to the new symbol, the Central Bank has also introduced a separate symbol for the UAE’s upcoming Digital Dirham, the country's official sovereign-issued and centrally regulated digital currency. According to the Central Bank, 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.” While the Digital Dirham will function as legal tender to settle payments, it is designed as a non-interest-bearing instrument.

These changes, which will gradually appear throughout the calendar year, form part of the UAE’s broader strategy to strengthen its position as a global financial and digital payments hub.