68 billion dirhams in salaries for employees registered in “Wage Protection” during 2025

The Central Bank revealed that the number of employees registered in the Wage Protection System increased over the past year to reach 7.26 million employees, and the total amount they received in salaries and benefits amounted to 68 billion dirhams.

The latest report issued by the Central Bank showed that the wage protection system recorded remarkable growth, as the number of registered employees increased from 6.06 million in 2024 to 7.26 million employees in 2025, an increase of approximately 1.2 million employees.

The number of salary transactions also increased from 67.5 million transactions to 79.5 million transactions, while the cumulative total value increased from 341 billion dirhams to 409 billion dirhams.

The number of registered employers increased by 15% from 321,070 people to 368,448 people, reflecting improved economic activity and increased compliance with wage regulations.

The Wages Protection System in the UAE (WPS) is one of the most prominent regulatory initiatives launched to ensure that the salaries of workers in the private sector are paid regularly and on specified dates.

The system was developed by the Central Bank, in cooperation with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, and relies on transferring wages electronically through approved banks and financial institutions.

The system aims to enhance transparency, protect workers’ rights, reduce wage-related disputes, and support stability in the labor market.

It also contributes to providing an accurate database that helps government agencies monitor compliance and analyze labor market indicators more efficiently.

According to the Central Bank’s report, payment and financial transfer systems in the UAE witnessed strong performance during 2025, supported by the expansion of digital services and increased reliance on modern financial solutions, with clear growth recorded in most indicators compared to 2024.

With regard to instant payment systems (IPI), 33.8 million transactions were implemented with a value of approximately 168.8 billion dirhams during the year 2025.

Despite the decline in the number of transactions compared to 2024, this decline is due to the shift in activity towards the “Aani” system after the expansion of its launch, which reflects the development of the structure of instant payments in the country rather than a decline in demand.

As for the direct debit system “UAEDDS”, it processed 16.3 million transactions worth 140.3 billion dirhams during the year 2025, recording an increase of 3.76% in the number of transactions and 22.88% in value compared to 2024, which indicates an increase in the average value of transactions and increased reliance on this system.

As for the UAE Network (UAESWITCH), 663 million transactions were processed last year through ATMs and points of sale.

ATM transactions reached 102.9 million transactions worth 160.8 billion dirhams, achieving a growth of 9.05% in number and 7.99% in value, compared to 2024.

On the other hand, point-of-sale transactions accounted for the largest share, with a total of 560.7 million transactions, of which 38.1 million were via prepaid cards and 522.6 million were via debit cards, which in turn recorded a growth of 4%, reflecting the continued shift towards electronic payments.

The UAE Financial Transfer System (UAEFTS) also recorded a strong performance, as transfers from individuals rose to 114.9 million transactions worth 9.9 trillion dirhams, with a growth of 17.76% in number and 19.93% in value.

As for institutional transfers, they reached 865.7 thousand transactions worth 14.5 trillion dirhams, achieving a growth of 4.7% in number and 33.05% in value, which reflects a significant expansion in high-value transfers between institutions.

This overall performance reflects the acceleration of digital transformation in the UAE financial sector, the enhancement of the efficiency of the payment systems infrastructure, in addition to the growth of economic activity and the increase in the volume of financial transactions, keeping pace with global developments in financial technology.

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Check clearing

The Check Clearing System (ICCS) processed about 23.78 million checks, with a value of approximately 1.5 trillion dirhams, during the year 2025, recording an increase of 1.42% in the number of checks and 8.55% in value compared to 2024, which indicates the continued use of checks in transactions of large values.

. 7.26 million employees registered in the Wage Protection System by the end of 2025.