SendTech Times
العربية
EconomyNews|May 28, 2026, 05:00 AM
DUBAI IMPACT:

UAE Dirham Symbol Moves Closer to Keyboard Inclusion

BySendTech Times Capital & Policy DeskNewsroom-edited, source-reviewed coverage|Source: The National
Newsroom brief

The UAE dirham symbol is nearing inclusion on keyboards. It is part of Unicode's 18.0 beta review. The final release is expected in September.

Verified against source materialEdited by SendTech Times Capital & Policy Desk
UAE Dirham Symbol Moves Closer to Keyboard Inclusion
Image source: The National

UAE Dirham Symbol Progress

The UAE dirham symbol is one step closer to being included on computer and smartphone keyboards.

The symbol, along with those of the Omani rial and Saudi riyal, is in Unicode's 18.0 beta review of future symbol and emoji standards.

Unicode, based in California, is considered the technology industry’s leading organisation attempting to standardise emoji codes and digital characters across billions of digital devices.

Feedback Phase and Character Stability

Unicode's 18.0 beta is open for user feedback, allowing users to view the latest version of characters and provide comments.

According to Unicode, "At this phase of a release, the character repertoire is considered stable," and feedback can be submitted until July 7.

While no new characters will be added, existing characters could still be removed or have their names or code points changed with strong justification.

Background and Symbol Design

The UAE Central Bank unveiled a symbol for the national currency in March last year as part of a drive to enhance the country's status as a global financial hub.

The symbol was designed to represent the stability of the currency while also paying homage to the UAE flag.

Later in 2025, the bank applied to Unicode to secure the dirham's presence on technology platforms.

The submission letter stated, "We confirm that the proposed glyph is original, it does not use a specific font and as such does not require any licensing to allow its inclusion in the official Unicode charts."

Future Implementation

The UAE Central Bank released a style guideline in 2025 detailing how it envisions the dirham symbol appearing on the number 6 key on keyboard layouts.

Ultimately, it will be up to device manufacturers to decide where the symbol will be placed.

Unicode's final 18.0 release is expected to be published in September.

Share this article
inXf

Related articles

More
UAE-US AI Partnership Moves From Chip Shipments To Investment Follow-Through
Economy

UAE-US AI Partnership Moves From Chip Shipments To Investment Follow-Through

Khaldoon Al Mubarak met senior White House officials in Washington to review UAE-US economic investments and technology partnerships. The talks included the UAE's $1.4 trillion US investment commitment, recent Nvidia CPU and GPU shipments and a planned 5GW AI campus in Abu Dhabi. The next signal is whether the partnership turns chip access and campus plans into visible infrastructure, manufacturing and energy investment milestones.

IMF Oil Inventory Warning Turns Gulf Energy Shock Into Growth Test
Economy

IMF Oil Inventory Warning Turns Gulf Energy Shock Into Growth Test

The IMF warned that global oil inventories are expected to fall to about 7.5 billion barrels by July as the Iran war disrupts energy supplies. The IEA put cumulative losses at 12.8 million barrels a day, while Fitch cut its 2026 global growth forecast to 2.4 per cent and raised its Brent forecast to $87 a barrel. The next signal is whether emergency reserves and diplomatic progress can stabilize inventories before the IMF releases its July global forecast.

O-Green's 58 MW Duqm Wind Pilot Ties Oman Renewables to Industrial Power Demand
Economy

O-Green's 58 MW Duqm Wind Pilot Ties Oman Renewables to Industrial Power Demand

O-Green is developing a 58 MW pilot wind farm in the Duqm Special Economic Zone to support clean-power use in Oman's industrial buildout. The Duqm North and South Wind Project will use six 9.6 MW turbines and is expected to generate around 190 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually. The practical question is whether O-Green can turn its Duqm pilot and wider renewable portfolio into reliable power for manufacturing and industrial demand.

Tokyo Uses Record-Scale SusHi Tech 2026 To Push Startup And Urban Innovation Agenda
Economy

Tokyo Uses Record-Scale SusHi Tech 2026 To Push Startup And Urban Innovation Agenda

SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 opened at its largest scale, with projected attendance of more than 60,000 and around 10,000 expected business meetings. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi used the opening to frame startups as a shared national and metropolitan economic priority. The key test is whether new support programs, corporate partnerships and overseas participation translate into repeatable funding, pilots and market access.

Digital Dubai Adds AED31 Billion To The City Brand Case
Economy

Digital Dubai Adds AED31 Billion To The City Brand Case

Brand Finance credited Digital Dubai with about AED31 billion of Dubai’s place-brand value and an AA+ institutional rating, turning digital government into a measurable part of the emirate’s investment pitch.

UAE Stocks Rally, but Friday’s Deal Test Still Matters
Economy

UAE Stocks Rally, but Friday’s Deal Test Still Matters

Abu Dhabi and Dubai markets closed at three-month highs after a US-Iran peace agreement lifted risk appetite. ADX rose 0.3 per cent to 9,996.20 points and DFM gained 1 per cent to 6,115.97 points, but analysts tied the next leg to the expected Geneva signing on Friday and interest-rate signals.

Keep Reading

More Stories

Latest
Indian Tech Stocks Split As MapmyIndia Rises And Ola Electric FallsCapital & PolicyJul 12, 2026Indian Tech Stocks Split As MapmyIndia Rises And Ola Electric FallsInc42 reported that 29 of 57 listed Indian new-age tech companies gained during the week while 27 fell, with MapmyIndia and PhysicsWallah rising as Ola Electric, Pine Labs and FirstCry weakened.Crypto IPO Pipeline Slows As Capital Rotates Beyond Digital AssetsCapital & PolicyJul 12, 2026Crypto IPO Pipeline Slows As Capital Rotates Beyond Digital AssetsCoinDesk reported that crypto IPO plans have slowed as Christian Lopez of Cohen & Company Capital Markets pointed to investor caution, aftermarket risk and capital access rather than regulation as the main constraints.AIC Shows 32-Drive PCIe Gen6 JBOF Server For AI Cache WorkloadsChips & SemiconductorsJul 12, 2026AIC Shows 32-Drive PCIe Gen6 JBOF Server For AI Cache WorkloadsAIC showed the F2032-01-G6, a 2U JBOF server with 32 PCIe Gen6 E3 drive bays, ServeTheHome reported. The design targets AI cache and flash-tier workloads, but AIC did not disclose pricing, customer deployments, availability or final architecture diagrams.Crusoe Adds Serverless Fine-Tuning To AI Infrastructure PlatformCloud & Data CentersJul 12, 2026Crusoe Adds Serverless Fine-Tuning To AI Infrastructure PlatformCrusoe is adding serverless fine-tuning and self-service inference deployments to Intelligence Foundry, Data Center Knowledge reported. The launch moves the pitch beyond raw GPU access, but Crusoe did not disclose customers, exact pricing, utilisation targets or customer-verified savings.Circle OCC Approval Creates Federal Trust Bank Route For USDC CustodyFintech & Digital PaymentsJul 12, 2026Circle OCC Approval Creates Federal Trust Bank Route For USDC CustodyCircle received final OCC approval to establish Circle National Trust for federally supervised digital asset custody, but did not disclose an opening date, first institutional customers or a reserve-management timetable.Tesla Optimus Suppliers Told To Reach 2,500 Units A Week By Year-EndAIJul 12, 2026Tesla Optimus Suppliers Told To Reach 2,500 Units A Week By Year-EndSina Finance, citing LatePost, reported that Tesla issued Optimus parts procurement guidance asking suppliers to reach 1,000 units per week in September and 2,000 to 2,500 units per week by year-end. The report said Elon Musk approved the latest Optimus Gen 3 version in late June, but Tesla has not published supplier names, factory sites or purchase-order documents.QAI Ventures Names Four Startups For Singapore Quantum AcceleratorChips & SemiconductorsJul 12, 2026QAI Ventures Names Four Startups For Singapore Quantum AcceleratorQAI Ventures said the Singapore Quantum Accelerator selected four startups from 63 applications across 12 countries for its first cohort. Each company receives a SGD300,000 investment package, but the programme has not disclosed customer contracts, revenue targets or post-accelerator funding commitments.Keyper Raises $11 Million To Expand UAE Monthly Rent PaymentsFintech & Digital PaymentsJul 12, 2026Keyper Raises $11 Million To Expand UAE Monthly Rent PaymentsKeyper said it raised an $11 million Series A led by Speedinvest to expand monthly rent payments and landlord financing products in the UAE. The company said it has financed more than $44 million in rent value, but did not disclose pricing, financing terms or named institutional landlord customers.HSBC Uses Marketnode For Tokenized Dollar Notes In Hong KongFintech & Digital PaymentsJul 11, 2026HSBC Uses Marketnode For Tokenized Dollar Notes In Hong KongHSBC completed a live blockchain-native issuance of tokenized U.S. dollar structured notes in Hong Kong, with Marketnode acting as tokenization and digital paying agent. The report did not disclose note size, investor name, pricing, settlement-speed data or cost savings.Micron Sets $500 Million For GlobalWafers 300mm Wafer PlanChips & SemiconductorsJul 11, 2026Micron Sets $500 Million For GlobalWafers 300mm Wafer PlanMicron said an up to $3 billion U.S. semiconductor supply-chain plan includes $500 million for GlobalWafers America and a 10-year wafer supply agreement, but wafer volumes, pricing and closing timing remain undisclosed.UAE EPI Ranking Shows Waste Management Score At 100EconomyJul 11, 2026UAE EPI Ranking Shows Waste Management Score At 100Economy Middle East reported that the UAE ranked first in the Arab world in the 2026 Environmental Performance Index and recorded a 100 score for waste management. The EPI-linked account cited renewable energy investment, AI-powered mangrove drones and satellite monitoring, but did not name project-level waste capacity or audited restoration results.Indian Startups Raise $71.9 Million Across 17 Deals In Funding SlowdownCapital & PolicyJul 11, 2026Indian Startups Raise $71.9 Million Across 17 Deals In Funding SlowdownInc42 reported that Indian startups raised about $71.9 Mn across 17 deals between July 4 and July 10, down 31% from the previous week. The weekly list named Elevate Education, Purple Style Labs and Aukera among the largest disclosed rounds, but did not include valuations, revenue figures or customer metrics for most recipients.