No Dh5,000 salary requirement for personal loans: Will UAE banks lend to all residents?
The UAE Central Bank has dropped the Dh5,000 salary threshold, making borrowing easier for millions of low-income residents
A senior official from the UAE Banks Federation (UBF) clarified on Thursday that, although the UAE has removed the Dh5,000 minimum salary requirement for personal loans, not all employees in the country will automatically qualify for personal finance. Earlier, the UAE Central Bank announced the cancellation of the long-standing minimum salary rule to expand credit access for millions of low-income residents. However, banks will still apply their own eligibility criteria when assessing loan applications under the updated UAE banking regulations.
espite the UAE removing the Dh5,000 minimum salary requirement for obtaining personal loans, not all employees in the country will qualify for personal finance, a senior official from the UAE Banks Federation (UBF) clarified on Thursday. Earlier, the UAE Central Bank announced the scrapping of the long-standing salary threshold to expand access to credit and strengthen financial inclusion for low-income residents.
The UAE’s recent move to scrap the Dh5,000 minimum salary requirement for personal loans does not mean that every employee in the country will automatically qualify for financing, a senior official from the UAE Banks Federation (UBF) clarified.
Earlier this week, the UAE Central Bank removed the long-standing Dh5,000 salary rule, a major policy change aimed at expanding access to personal finance and strengthening financial inclusion for millions of low-income residents.
Commenting on the update, AbdulAziz Abdullah Al-Ghurair, chairman of the UBF, told Khaleej Times that the decision is a “very positive development” designed to support financial inclusion and allow banks and financial institutions to determine their own lending criteria.
However, Al-Ghurair emphasized that the entire UAE workforce will not be eligible for personal loans, noting that many blue-collar workers fall into higher-risk categories for lenders.
When asked whether all employees would qualify for personal finance under the new rules, the UBF chief responded firmly: “Of course, no.”
The UAE’s recent decision to remove the Dh5,000 minimum salary requirement for personal loans marks a major shift in the country’s lending landscape. While the UAE Central Bank scrapped the long-standing rule to boost financial inclusion and expand access to credit for low-income residents, not all workers will automatically qualify for financing, a senior official from the UAE Banks Federation (UBF) clarified.
UBF chairman AbdulAziz Abdullah Al-Ghurair told Khaleej Times that the policy change is a positive move aimed at widening financial access, allowing banks and financial institutions to determine lending criteria based on their internal risk assessments.
“It is a very positive development. It’s meant to support financial inclusion. Let financial institutions decide what kind of lending they want to do,” Al-Ghurair said.
However, he stressed that personal loan eligibility in the UAE will not extend to the entire workforce. Many blue-collar and low-income workers fall into higher-risk categories, which banks must evaluate carefully.
“Of course, no,” he stated when asked if the full eligible workforce would now qualify for loans.
Al-Ghurair, who also chairs Mashreq Bank, noted that lenders will be required to conduct deeper due diligence, especially for workers earning lower salaries, because of the increased risk of job loss and loan default.
“What loan can a driver earning Dh3,000–Dh4,000 afford? The lower the income, the higher the risk. These low-paid jobs are volatile. If a farmer making Dh2,000 loses his job, what do I do? Naturally, banks will carry out extensive checks due to higher risk charges,” he explained.
Echoing this view, Mohammad Kamran Wajid, deputy CEO of Emirates Islamic, said that eliminating the Dh5,000 salary threshold opens doors for banks to enter a previously unbanked but regulatory-compliant segment.
“More people will become bankable. From the banks’ perspective, the risk becomes even more diversified because the pool of potential customers expands,” Wajid added.