As UAE Banks Raise Minimum Balance Rules, Prepaid Solutions Emerge as a Smarter Option for Expat Communities

21st May, 2025

Author: Kim Fajardo, Corporate Marketing & Exec. Support Manager

Category: Industries

Starting June 1, 2025, several UAE banks will increase their minimum balance requirement for current accounts from AED 3,000 to AED 5,000. Account holders who fail to meet this new threshold will face monthly charges of at least AED 25, with some fees going as high as AED 105, depending on the account type and bank (Gulf News).

Banks have also stipulated that only customers who hold a credit card or a personal loan will be exempt from this minimum balance fee (Khaleej Times).

For many UAE residents, particularly blue-collar workers, domestic helpers, and newly arrived expats, these changes come as yet another barrier to financial inclusion.

The Problem with Traditional Banking

Over 8.4 million expatriates live and work in the UAE, making up almost 90% of the population (World Bank, 2024). Many of these workers send money home, support dependents, and live on tight monthly budgets.

For them, maintaining a minimum AED 5,000 balance—when their monthly salary may not even reach that amount—is simply unrealistic. Taking on credit cards or personal loans just to avoid a fee? That’s a risk, not a solution.

Prepay Nation Alternative

At Prepay Nation, we believe financial empowerment shouldn’t come with strings attached. That’s why we offer a frictionless, prepaid-first approach to digital value transfers:

📲 Airtime and Data Top-Ups: Send top-ups instantly to loved ones back home—no bank needed, no delay.

🎁 Digital Gift Cards: Enable smarter spending for families abroad, without the need for a credit card or online banking access.

💡 Prepaid Utility and Bill Payments: Cross-border solutions that help users settle bills for electricity, education, insurance, and more – bank-free.

Powering Inclusion at Scale

With operations in over 150 countries and partnerships with more than 600 mobile network operators (MNOs), Prepay Nation is helping millions of expats and their families stay connected and supported, without the need to open or maintain a traditional bank account.

We’re not just solving for remittances. We’re building ecosystems of digital access—whether it’s topping up a SIM card in Lagos, paying for utilities in Manila, or gifting a prepaid Netflix card in Cairo.

Why This Matters Now

As the financial system tightens requirements, the underserved are often the first to feel the impact. Prepay Nation provides a vital alternative, enabling:

•  Financial resilience without reliance on loans or credit products.
• Digital cross-border transfers that don’t depend on expensive wire fees.
• Opportunities for businesses to serve the growing prepaid demand in expat-driven markets like the UAE.

In an environment where minimum balance rules are rising, but wages and access to credit remain the same, UAE expatriates need real alternatives, not more obligations.

Prepay Nation stands ready with scalable, accessible, and human-centered prepaid solutions that work for the people who need them most.

Are you a business looking to serve the UAE’s expat communities? Partner with Prepay Nation to distribute prepaid digital products at scale and unlock new revenue streams in the prepaid economy .

Get in touch with us at Prepay Nation!