Sending money from the UAE to Sri Lanka: the payments stack
Sending AED 735 from the UAE to Sri Lanka cost 2.7% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 18 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Sri Lanka typically run over CEFTS (Common Electronic Fund Transfer Switch), SLIPS (Sri Lanka Interbank Payment System); between now and the end of 2027 there are 8 weekdays when banks in the UAE are closed but Sri Lanka keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 2.7% of AED 735 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 2.85% across 17 services |
| Banks | 0.25% across 1 services |
| Collect in UAE | Aani, UAEFTS, IPI (Immediate Payment Instruction), UAEDDS (UAE Direct Debit System) |
| Pay out in Sri Lanka | CEFTS (Common Electronic Fund Transfer Switch), SLIPS (Sri Lanka Interbank Payment System), RTGS (LankaSettle) |
What it costs to send AED 735
The World Bank surveyed 18 services sending from the UAE to Sri Lanka from 15 August 2025 to 22 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 2.7% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 2.85% and banks 0.25%. 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: Sri Lanka
| Payout partner | What it does in Sri Lanka | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nium · our guide | Pays out LKR to Sri Lankan bank accounts: transfers up to LKR 5 million reach 40+ banks in real time 24x7, and larger transfers settle T+0 with a 12:00 cut-off. Visa Direct LKR payouts are also listed. | source |
| Thunes · our guide | Its pay network lists Sri Lanka for bank account, mobile wallet and cash pickup payouts. | source |
| TerraPay · our guide | Its network page lists Sri Lanka for bank payouts in LKR and USD, with USD available only for banks. | source |
| Wise | Delivers LKR to Sri Lankan bank accounts from Wise's local bank account for senders in some markets, such as Australia; recipients do not need a Wise account. Wise's UK and US pages list LKR transfers as not yet available. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Sri Lanka: launching payments in Sri Lanka.
Payout rails in Sri Lanka
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEFTS (Common Electronic Fund Transfer Switch) | LankaPay (Pvt) Ltd, regulated by CBSL | Real-time interbank transfers 24/7/365 through internet and mobile banking, ATMs and branches. CBSL caps a CEFTS transfer at Rs. 5 million and the customer fee at Rs. 25 for digital channels and Rs. 100 over the counter (Payment and Settlement Systems Circular No. 02 of 2025, in force from 15 February 2025). | source |
| SLIPS (Sri Lanka Interbank Payment System) | LankaPay (Pvt) Ltd | Bulk direct credits and debits cleared on a T+0 basis in two processing cycles a day, with interbank net balances settled in the RTGS System in two cycles each business day. | source |
| RTGS (LankaSettle) | Central Bank of Sri Lanka | Settles each payment individually and irrevocably against participants' settlement accounts at CBSL, open on banking business days between 8.00 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 8 dates when the UAE is closed and Sri Lanka is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 19 dates when Sri Lanka is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | UAE | Sri Lanka | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 24 Nov 2026 | Open | Il Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 2 Dec 2026 | National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | Open | Prefund Sri Lanka the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Thu 3 Dec 2026 | National Day (second day) | Open | Prefund Sri Lanka the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Wed 23 Dec 2026 | Open | Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Open | Christmas Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | Open | Prefund Sri Lanka the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Fri 15 Jan 2027 | Open | Tamil Thai Pongal Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 22 Jan 2027 | Open | Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 4 Feb 2027 | Open | Independence Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr (Ramadan 30 or Eid day 1) | Open | Prefund Sri Lanka the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr | Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramazan Festival Day) | Both closed |
| Thu 11 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr | Open | Prefund Sri Lanka the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Mon 22 Mar 2027 | Open | Medin Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Open | Good Friday | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 13 Apr 2027 | Open | Day prior to Sinhala and Tamil New Year Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 14 Apr 2027 | Open | Sinhala and Tamil New Year Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 20 Apr 2027 | Open | Bak Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Eid Al Adha (day 2) | Id-Ul-Alha (Hadji Festival Day) | Both closed |
| Tue 18 May 2027 | Eid Al Adha (day 3) | Open | Prefund Sri Lanka the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Wed 19 May 2027 | Open | Vesak Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 20 May 2027 | Open | Day following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 18 Jun 2027 | Open | Poson Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 16 Aug 2027 | Open | Nikini Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 15 Sep 2027 | Open | Binara Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 15 Oct 2027 | Open | Vap Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 28 Oct 2027 | Open | Deepawali Festival Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 2 Dec 2027 | National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | Open | Prefund Sri Lanka the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Fri 3 Dec 2027 | National Day (second day) | Open | Prefund Sri Lanka the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Mon 13 Dec 2027 | Open | Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day | Sri Lanka banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
Full calendars: United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka. 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
- CEFTS credits beneficiaries in real time 24x7, but interbank settlement of CEFTS takes place in two cycles in the RTGS System on each business day, so weekend and holiday CEFTS credits settle between banks on the next business day. source
- In the Sri Lankan FX market, cash deals deliver the same day, tom deals the next business day and spot deals within two business days, so rupee from a spot sale of dollars arrives up to two business days after the trade. source
- All Saturdays and Sundays are bank holidays, and so is every Full Moon Poya day. Remaining 2026 bank holidays include Deepawali (8 November), Ill Full Moon Poya (24 November), Unduwap Full Moon Poya (23 December) and Christmas (25 December). 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 Sri Lanka and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Sri Lanka balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from the UAE to Sri Lanka?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending AED 735 at 2.7% in Q3 2025, across 18 services. Money transfer operators averaged 2.85%.
Which rails pay out in Sri Lanka?
Local payouts run over CEFTS (Common Electronic Fund Transfer Switch), SLIPS (Sri Lanka Interbank Payment System), RTGS (LankaSettle).
When do I need to prefund Sri Lanka payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 8 weekdays when the UAE is closed and Sri Lanka 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
- Gazette Extraordinary No. 2493/05: Public and Bank Holidays for 2027 (Holidays Act No. 29 of 1971) · Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka
- Bank Holidays for 2027 · Central Bank of Sri Lanka
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.
About Polynopsis
Polynopsis is liquidity management software for cross-border payment companies. The name joins poly, many, and synopsis, a seeing together: one live view of money spread across many banks, payout partners, exchanges and stablecoin wallets, including money in flight, with a warning before any corridor runs dry.
Why it is called Polynopsis · About Polynopsis · Glossary · Corridor runway calculator