Sending money from the UAE to Egypt: the payments stack
Sending AED 735 from the UAE to Egypt cost 3.7% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 16 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Egypt typically run over IPN / InstaPay, CBE RTGS; between now and the end of 2027 there are 5 weekdays when banks in the UAE are closed but Egypt keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 3.7% of AED 735 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 3.91% across 15 services |
| Banks | 0.5% across 1 services |
| Collect in UAE | Aani, UAEFTS, IPI (Immediate Payment Instruction), UAEDDS (UAE Direct Debit System) |
| Pay out in Egypt | IPN / InstaPay, CBE RTGS, EG-ACH |
What it costs to send AED 735
The World Bank surveyed 16 services sending from the UAE to Egypt from 15 August 2025 to 2 September 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 3.7% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 3.91% and banks 0.5%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: the UAE
- Under the Exchange Business Regulation (Circular 7/2025, effective 26 June 2025) a Category I licence covers currency exchange, remittances and WPS salary processing, Category II covers currency exchange and remittances, Category III currency exchange only, and Category IV remittances through digital channels only, with no cash-in or cash-out and currency conversion only within the digital remittance. source
- Exchange businesses that are limited liability companies need minimum paid-up capital of AED 25 million and a bank guarantee to the CBUAE of AED 50 million for Categories I to III or AED 25 million for Category IV; a Category IV licensee must be a limited liability company, and the CBUAE can allow 100% non-UAE ownership for that category. source
- The Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation (Circular 15/2021) has four licence categories; cross-border fund transfer services are available under Category I and Category II, Category I adds payment token services, and Category IV covers payment initiation and account information services. source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from the UAE.
The payout side: Egypt
| Payout partner | What it does in Egypt | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Thunes · our guide | Its money transfer API pays EGP in Egypt to bank accounts over RTGS and the Instant Payment Network, to mobile wallets and for cash pickup through Fawry Plus, with Banque du Caire branches as the fallback. | source |
| TerraPay · our guide | Its API pays Egyptian bank accounts (bank name, account number and SWIFT/BIC) and InstaPay-based bank transactions using the EG_INSTAPAY provider code with a 14-digit InstaPay account number. | source |
| dLocal · our guide | Payouts V3 pays EGP to bank accounts (BIC and IBAN) and to Vodafone, Etisalat, Orange and bank wallets for B2C, B2B and P2P flows. | source |
| Nium · our guide | Pays EGP to all major Egyptian banks T+1 with a 13:00 GMT cut-off, Sunday to Thursday, and to wallets including Vodafone Cash, Orange Cash and Etisalat Cash same day, Sunday to Thursday; P2P bank payouts are capped at USD 15,000 per end-user. | source |
| Flutterwave · our guide | Supports bank and mobile wallet payouts to recipients in Egypt through its dashboard and APIs, enabled after full KYC review. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Egypt: launching payments in Egypt.
Payout rails in Egypt
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPN / InstaPay | Egyptian Banks Company (EBC), for the Central Bank of Egypt | Launched on 22 March 2022, the IPN links all banks operating in Egypt for real-time transfers on weekdays and official holidays to accounts, wallets and cards; InstaPay limits are EGP 70,000 per transaction, EGP 120,000 per day and EGP 400,000 per month, per bank registered in the app. | source |
| CBE RTGS | Central Bank of Egypt | Real-time gross settlement owned and operated by the CBE, open 08:30 to 16:30 every working day; all banks are direct participants, and it settles the netting results of the CBE cheque clearing house, the National Switch and EBC's ACH. | source |
| EG-ACH | Egyptian Banks Company (EBC) | Bulk interbank clearing of direct credits and debits; EGP batches are processed for settlement in the CBE RTGS from 09:00, 10:45, 12:45 and 14:45, with an end-of-day batch from 15:45. | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 5 dates when the UAE is closed and Egypt is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 13 dates when Egypt is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | UAE | Egypt | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 Dec 2026 | National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | Open | Prefund Egypt the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Thu 3 Dec 2026 | National Day (second day) | Open | Prefund Egypt the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | Bank holiday (end of banks' financial year) | Both closed |
| Thu 7 Jan 2027 | Open | Coptic Christmas | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 25 Jan 2027 | Open | January 25 Revolution and National Police Day | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 28 Jan 2027 | Open | January 25 holiday, possible Thursday substitute | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr (Ramadan 30 or Eid day 1) | Eid al-Fitr (day 1) | Both closed |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr | Eid al-Fitr (day 2) | Both closed |
| Thu 11 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr | Eid al-Fitr (day 3) | Both closed |
| Fri 12 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr (only if Ramadan lasts 30 days) | Open | Prefund Egypt the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Mon 3 May 2027 | Open | Sham El-Nessim | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 6 May 2027 | Open | Labour Day, possible Thursday substitute | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Eid Al Adha (day 2) | Eid al-Adha (day 2) | Both closed |
| Tue 18 May 2027 | Eid Al Adha (day 3) | Eid al-Adha (day 3) | Both closed |
| Wed 19 May 2027 | Open | Eid al-Adha (day 4) | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 10 Jun 2027 | Open | Islamic New Year, possible Thursday substitute | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 30 Jun 2027 | Open | June 30 Revolution | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 1 Jul 2027 | Open | June 30 holiday, possible Thursday substitute | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 23 Jul 2027 | Open | July 23 Revolution Day | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 19 Aug 2027 | Open | Mawlid, possible Thursday substitute | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 6 Oct 2027 | Open | Armed Forces Day | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 7 Oct 2027 | Open | Armed Forces Day, possible Thursday substitute | Egypt banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 2 Dec 2027 | National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | Open | Prefund Egypt the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Fri 3 Dec 2027 | National Day (second day) | Open | Prefund Egypt the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
Full calendars: United Arab Emirates and Egypt. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- First Abu Dhabi Bank moved its UAE offices to a Monday to Friday working week with a Saturday and Sunday weekend from 3 January 2022, following UAE Government and CBUAE guidelines, in line with the federal government's Saturday and Sunday weekend. source
- Islamic public holidays (Eid Al Fitr, Arafah Day, Eid Al Adha, Hijri New Year and the Prophet's birthday) are set by moon sighting, and under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 a public holiday is not moved when it falls on a weekend or another holiday; National Day is 2 and 3 December. source
- CBE RTGS business days run Sunday to Thursday, excluding participants' public holidays, and the CBE can declare a public holiday a business day if necessary. source
- The RTGS daily schedule sets the cut-off for bank-to-bank payments at 16:30, so interbank pound settlement closes each working afternoon. source
- The CBE describes IPN services as instant transfers 24/7 to all banks' customers, and inbound remittances can be credited to accounts in real time through the IPN at licensed banks. source
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in UAE, the payout partners and banks in Egypt and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Egypt balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from the UAE to Egypt?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending AED 735 at 3.7% in Q3 2025, across 16 services. Money transfer operators averaged 3.91%.
Which rails pay out in Egypt?
Local payouts run over IPN / InstaPay, CBE RTGS, EG-ACH.
When do I need to prefund Egypt payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 5 weekdays when the UAE is closed and Egypt is open, the first on Wed 2 Dec 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- Cabinet Resolution No. (27) of 2024 Concerning the Public Holidays in the State · UAE Legislation
- Public holidays · The Official Portal of the UAE Government
- National Holidays 2026 · Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt
- Ministerial Decree Setting Official Paid Holidays for Workers No. 294 of 2025 · Mondaq
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.