Dubai Cashless Strategy Exceeds Targets Ahead of Schedule with 90.1 Percent Index
Dubai Finance issued a major update on the Dubai Cashless Strategy on October 9, declaring that it has reached its targets ahead of its scheduled two-year timeframe. Dubai's cashless transactions index reached 90.1 percent, exceeding the 90 percent target set for 2026, and the community happiness index also reached 90.1 percent.
Every government sector transaction is now available as a digital payment under the Digital Enablement Index, and government cashless collections reached 99.66 percent during the first half of 2026. The strategy was launched in October 2024 by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, who commended the combined efforts of the government and private sectors.
Abdullah Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai, said the transition toward a cashless economy enhances resilience and efficiency, facilitates access to finance and creates an environment of ease and reliability in transactions, reinforcing Dubai's position as an investment destination and a global platform for the economy of the future.
Dubai's longer-term ambition is for 100 percent of transactions to be paperless. For Chinese residents and merchants in Dubai, the shift rewrites payment habits from markets to government counters, as cash-and-change encounters steadily give way to digital payment by default.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Khanshahab06 / Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 4.0）
