Aani Instant Payments UAE: How It Works and What Is Free (2026)

Aani is the UAE's instant payments system, operated by Al Etihad Payments (a Central Bank of the UAE subsidiary). It moves dirhams between UAE accounts in under 10 seconds, around the clock, using just the recipient's mobile number, email or a QR code, and for individuals it is free at most participating banks as of 2026. Here is how it works, what the limits are, and when to use your bank's app versus the standalone Aani app.

What is Aani and who runs it?

Aani launched in October 2023 as the UAE's Instant Payment Platform (IPP), built and operated by Al Etihad Payments under the Central Bank's Financial Infrastructure Transformation programme. It is the same category of system as India's UPI, the UK's Faster Payments or Brazil's Pix: a national rail for real-time, account-to-account payments.

By 2026, more than 45 licensed financial institutions are connected, including the major retail banks (FAB, Emirates NBD, ADCB, ADIB, DIB, Mashreq, CBD and others), exchange houses such as Al Ansari and LuLu Exchange, and fintech apps. The platform passed 1.5 million registered users during 2025 and keeps growing as banks push it as the default way to send money to another person.

The practical difference from a normal local transfer: an ordinary interbank transfer via FTS can take hours during business days, while Aani settles in seconds at 3am on a Friday. And you do not need the recipient's IBAN.

How do proxy payments via mobile number work?

Aani uses what payment systems call a proxy or alias: an identifier that stands in for your bank account so you never have to share an IBAN.

You enrol once, through your bank's app or the Aani app, verifying your mobile number with an OTP.
You pick a default account. That is where incoming Aani payments land and where outgoing ones are debited from.
Anyone can now pay you using just your mobile number or email. Their bank looks up the proxy in the central directory and routes the money to your linked account.

If you change banks, you re-point the proxy to the new account, and payments follow you. One mobile number links to one default account at a time, which is worth remembering if you hold accounts at several banks.

Beyond simple transfers, Aani supports:

Request to Pay: you send a payment request, the other person approves it in their app, money arrives instantly. Useful for collecting shared expenses.
QR codes: scan to pay a person or a participating merchant.
Split payments: divide a bill among several Aani users from one request.

What does Aani cost, and what is actually free?

For individuals, person-to-person Aani transfers are free of charge at most participating banks as of 2026 (banks including CBI and Emirates Islamic state this explicitly, and the large retail banks have generally followed the same approach). That makes it cheaper than some legacy local-transfer fees and far cheaper than using a credit card cash advance or an international app to move money domestically.

Two caveats:

Fees are set by each bank, not centrally. The platform itself does not publish a consumer price list, so a bank could in principle charge. Check your bank's schedule of charges; as of 2026, free is the norm for personal use.
Merchant and business payments are priced separately. If you run a business accepting Aani QR payments, your acquiring bank or PSP will have its own pricing.

What are the Aani transfer limits?

Limit type	Amount (AED)	Notes
Platform maximum, single transfer	50,000	Set at platform level by Al Etihad Payments
Typical bank limit per transaction	around 10,000	Varies by bank; some allow more in-app
Typical bank limit per day	around 50,000	Varies by bank and customer segment
Incoming transfers	Generally uncapped	Banks typically do not limit inward Aani credits

The numbers to plan around: a single Aani payment can be as large as AED 50,000 in theory, but your own bank will usually cap outgoing transfers at a lower figure, commonly AED 10,000 per transaction and AED 50,000 per day for retail customers. Limits differ by bank and sometimes by account type, so check inside your banking app.

A worked example. Your share of a villa deposit is AED 18,000 and your bank caps Aani at AED 10,000 per transaction and AED 50,000 per day. You can send AED 10,000 plus AED 8,000 in two Aani payments within a minute, both free, both instant, no IBAN needed. For amounts beyond your daily cap, a standard local transfer to the recipient's IBAN is the fallback.

Should you use your bank's app or the standalone Aani app?

You can use Aani in two ways, and they draw on the same underlying rail.

	Your bank's app (e.g. ENBD X, ADIB, CBD)	Standalone Aani app (Al Etihad Payments)
Setup	Enable Aani inside the app you already use	Download, then link a supported bank account
Best for	People who bank with one institution and want zero extra apps	People who want Aani features their bank has not built yet, or a single interface across banks
Features	Depends on how much of Aani your bank has implemented	Full feature set: transfers, Request to Pay, QR, split payments
Authentication	Your usual bank login and biometrics	Bank-verified enrolment, then PIN or biometrics per payment

Practical rule: start with your bank's app. If your bank's Aani implementation is missing something you need (some launched transfers first and added Request to Pay and QR later), the standalone app fills the gap. Either way, every payment still requires your authorisation by PIN or biometrics.

If you have just arrived in the UAE, enabling Aani is one of the quickest wins in your first banking setup; it slots naturally into the steps covered in your first 90 days in the UAE.

What can you not use Aani for?

International transfers. Aani is AED-only, within the UAE. For sending money home, compare corridors and providers instead (see the remittance cost comparison).
Credit card payments to another person. Aani moves money between accounts; it is not a card network.
Amounts above your daily cap in one go.

Aani is also separate from Open Finance: Aani is a payment rail, while Open Finance governs data sharing and third party payment initiation. The two will increasingly meet (a licensed app initiating an Aani payment on your behalf), which is part of what Open Finance changes for you in 2026. For the wider framework, see what is Open Finance in the UAE.

FAQ

Is Aani free to use?

For personal transfers, yes at most banks as of 2026. Banks set their own fees, so confirm in your bank's schedule of charges, but free person-to-person transfers are the market norm. Business acceptance of Aani payments is priced separately by each bank or PSP.

How fast is an Aani transfer really?

Under 10 seconds end to end, 24/7, including weekends and public holidays. Both sender and recipient get instant confirmation, and the money is immediately spendable, unlike a standard transfer that may only process during banking hours.

What is the maximum I can send with Aani?

The platform supports single transfers up to AED 50,000, but most banks apply lower retail limits, typically around AED 10,000 per transaction and AED 50,000 per day. Your bank's app shows your exact limits.

Do I need the recipient's IBAN?

No. A registered mobile number or email is enough, or you can scan their QR code. If the recipient has not registered a proxy, you can still often pay them via Aani using their IBAN, or fall back to a normal transfer.

Is Aani safe?

Aani is operated by a Central Bank subsidiary and every payment requires your authorisation via PIN or biometrics. The main risk is the same as any instant payment system: transfers are irrevocable, so verify the recipient before you confirm. For the wider picture on app security, see are money apps safe in the UAE?.

Sources and References

Al Etihad Payments, Aani service pages; sub-10-second settlement, AED 50,000 platform maximum, proxy payments, QR, Request to Pay, 45+ participating institutions (aep.ae)
Al Etihad Payments press release; Aani passing 1.5 million registered users (aep.ae)
Central Bank of the UAE announcement of the Aani launch by Al Etihad Payments, October 2023 (centralbank.ae)
Commercial Bank International, Aani FAQs; free usage for customers, AED 10,000 per transaction and AED 50,000 per day outward limits, enrolment and default account process (cbiuae.com)
Emirates Islamic and Emirates NBD, Aani service pages; free instant transfers and availability inside bank apps and the standalone Aani app (emiratesislamic.ae, emiratesnbd.com)

This article is for general information and does not constitute financial advice. Aani fees, limits and participating institutions vary by bank and change over time, so always confirm current terms in your own bank's app and schedule of charges before sending money.

Published on 9 September 2026.