The official symbol for the UAE dirham, approved by the Central Bank in 2025, has now been formally added to the Unicode Standard version 18.0 - a step that clears the way for the symbol to appear on smartphone keyboards and other digital devices.
The symbol's design features two parallel horizontal lines, said to represent the stability of the UAE dirham and draw inspiration from the national flag, blending the country's cultural heritage with a forward-looking design approach.
Although the Central Bank approved the symbol in 2025, it lacked a standardised digital code, which prevented its widespread adoption across keyboards, websites and financial software. With a unique code now assigned under Unicode 18.0, operating system and app developers can implement the symbol consistently across devices.
The move is expected to gradually see the dirham symbol replace the written word "dirham" or the abbreviation AED on mobile keyboards, digital invoices, online banking platforms and UAE e-commerce sites, similar to how $ represents the dollar or € the euro. It forms part of a broader UAE effort to cement the national currency's visual and digital identity alongside the country's expanding digital payments infrastructure.
Technology experts note that rolling the symbol out in practice - including updates to Android and iOS keyboards - could take months, but its formal entry into the Unicode Standard marks the decisive final step in that process.