# Aani > Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/aani > research date 2026-05-30 · extracted at 2026-10-06 > Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards Specifications: - [Aani launch — Central Bank of the UAE press release (October 2023)](https://www.centralbank.ae/en/news-and-publications/news-and-insights/press-release/al-etihad-payments-launches-aani-an-instant-payments-platform-for-digital-transactions-in-the-uae/) - [Al Etihad Payments — official](https://aep.ae/) ## Overview **Aani** (Arabic: عاني, meaning "instant") is the **United Arab Emirates' national instant payment platform**, launched by **Al Etihad Payments (AEP) on 16 October 2023** [1][1], [2][2], [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE). AEP is a **CBUAE (Central Bank of the UAE) subsidiary** established specifically to operate Aani and other national payment infrastructure under the umbrella **Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FIT) programme** — CBUAE's strategic initiative to modernise the UAE payment ecosystem and target **70 % cashless transactions by 2030** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE), [3][3]. As of June 2024, **10 financial institutions** were live with Aani, with the remaining licensed financial institutions targeted for end-of-2024 onboarding [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE). Aani's design follows the **modern central-bank-orchestrated instant payment + QR overlay pattern** also seen in [Pix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/pix) (Brazil), [PromptPay QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/promptpay-qr) (Thailand), [UPI QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/upi-qr) (India), [KE-QR Code](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/ke-qr-code) (Kenya), [MNB QR / Qvik](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mnb-qr) (Hungary), and [IRIS QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/iris-qr) (Greece). Initial **transaction limit: AED 50,000 (~USD 13,612)** per transfer, with **24/7 availability** and **phone-number-as-identifier** convenience [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE), [1][1]. ## History **Background — UAE FIT Programme (Financial Infrastructure Transformation)** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE), [3][3]: CBUAE launched the **FIT programme** in 2023 as a comprehensive payment-infrastructure modernisation initiative including: - **Aani** — instant payment platform (this report). - **Digital Dirham** — UAE central bank digital currency (CBDC) in development. - **Cross-border integrations** — particularly with India UPI. - **Open finance framework** — APIs for fintech ecosystem. - **Target: 70 % cashless transactions by 2030**. **Al Etihad Payments (AEP) established** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE): AEP is a wholly-owned CBUAE subsidiary established specifically to operate FIT-programme infrastructure. AEP operates Aani and is positioned as a similar entity to NPCI (India), NPCS (Russia), DIAS (Greece) — central-bank-owned payment-infrastructure operator. **16 October 2023 — Aani launch** [1][1], [2][2], [3][3], [4][4]: CBUAE and Al Etihad Payments officially launched Aani as the UAE's national IPP (Instant Payments Platform). Launch partners — **8 licensed financial institutions**: - **Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB)** - **Al Fardan Exchange** - **Emirates NBD** - **Finance House** - **First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)** — largest UAE bank by assets - **Habib Bank AG Zurich** - **Mashreq Bank** - **National Bank of Fujairah** **Subsequent rollout** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE): - **2023–2024** — additional banks onboarding through 2024. - **June 2024** — 10 financial institutions live. - **End-of-2024 target** — remaining licensed financial institutions (LFIs) onboarded. **Merchant QR expansion** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE): Aani's merchant QR acceptance is being expanded through partnerships with **Magnati** (FAB's payment subsidiary), **Mashreq Neo Pay**, and **Network International** — UAE's major payment acquirer companies. Target: tens of thousands of merchants by late 2024 / 2025. **Cross-border roadmap** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE): - **UAE-India UPI integration** is in development. India's UPI processed 14.04 billion transactions in May 2024 alone with 350 million active UPI users — making UAE-India a strategically important cross-border QR connection given the **large Indian-origin workforce in the UAE**. - Other regional cross-border integrations (GCC partners) under exploration. ## Technical specification Aani is the **consumer-facing brand** of the UAE's **IPP (Instant Payment Platform)** operated by Al Etihad Payments [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE), [1][1], [11][11]: | Layer | Description | |---|---| | **Underlying rail** | **IPP** (Instant Payment Platform) operated by AEP | | **Operator** | **Al Etihad Payments (AEP)** — CBUAE subsidiary | | **Messaging** | **ISO 20022** at the core of platform design [11][11] | | **Settlement target** | Real-time, **<10 seconds**, **24/7** [11][11] | | **QR wire format** | **EMVCo Merchant-Presented Mode** TLV container, currency `784` (AED), country `AE` (per AEP's QR-payment service positioning alongside other EMVCo MPM national schemes) | | **Initial transaction limit** | **AED 50,000** (~USD 13,612) | | **Currency** | AED (UAE Dirham) | | **Banks (June 2024 → Feb 2025)** | 10 → **57 licensed financial institutions** [10][10] | **Identifier options** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE), [1][1]: | Identifier | Notes | |---|---| | **Mobile phone number** | UAE format; primary P2P identifier | | **Email address** | Alternative P2P identifier | | **QR code** | Merchant payments (P2M); P2P via personal QR | | **Account number / IBAN** | Direct account targeting | **Features at launch** [1][1], [4][4]: - **Instant money transfers** — phone-number or email-based, real-time settlement. - **QR code payments** — merchant-presented for P2M. - **Request Money** — push a payment request to a contact. - **Split Bills** — proportional or equal-share bill splitting among multiple parties. **Planned features** [1][1]: - **Real-time direct debit**. - **Electronic direct debit authorisation**. - **Fully digital cheques** — issued, cleared, settled instantly. **UAE IBAN structure** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE): ``` AE + 2 check digits + 3-digit bank code + 16-digit account number Example: AE07 0331 2345 6789 0123 456 (23 characters) ``` **Cross-border roadmap** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE): - **India UPI integration** — QR-based cross-border method targeting the large UAE-India remittance corridor. - **GCC regional** integrations under exploration. ## Use cases Aani's initial use cases focus on **everyday consumer / SME payments** in the UAE: - **P2P transfers** — by phone number, email, or QR. Quintessential "split-the-dinner-bill / pay-rent-to-the-landlord" pattern. - **QR merchant payments (P2M)** — Aani-acquired merchants display QR codes for in-store or invoice payment. Acquirer partnerships with Magnati, Network International, Mashreq Neo Pay are driving merchant onboarding. - **Bill splitting** — Aani's Split Bills feature explicitly addresses the social-payment scenario. - **Request Money** — push-style payment requests for service-vendors, freelancers, small businesses. - **Remittance for UAE expat workers** (planned via India UPI link) — the UAE's large South Asian expat population is the target for cross-border-instant-payment links. - **Cross-border tourism** (planned) — GCC and other regional integrations under exploration. **Adoption metrics (early)** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE): - **10 financial institutions** live (June 2024) - **Tens of thousands of merchants** targeted for QR adoption - **70 % cashless target** by 2030 (CBUAE strategic goal) - **USD 4.18 billion** mobile wallet market in UAE (2024) Aani is **AEP-operated and bank-mediated**; there is no Aani-specific open-source SDK or registry library (the technical spec sits behind AEP's licensed-FI onboarding) [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE), [11][11]. **Open-source EMVCo MPM libraries** (work at the wire-format layer; merchant template population and AEP-issued identifiers are still gated through the bank/acquirer): | Repo | Language | Stars | License | Last release | Notes | |---|---|---:|---|---|---| | [mvallim/emv-qrcode](https://github.com/mvallim/emv-qrcode) | Java | 128 | Apache-2.0 | v0.1.5, May 2026 | Full **MPM v1.1 + CPM v1.1** encode/decode with CRC16 + duplicate-tag checks; the most directly applicable open-source generator for Aani's EMVCo-MPM-family QR [12][12] | | [mercari/go-emv-code](https://github.com/mercari/go-emv-code) | Go | 70 | MIT | v0.1.5, Aug 2023 | Encoder/decoder for both Merchant- and Consumer-Presented modes; Mercari-built [13][13] | | [dongri/emv-qrcode](https://github.com/dongri/emv-qrcode) | Go | 58 | — | 2024 | Independent Go MPM/CPM encoder/parser | These produce valid EMVCo MPM TLV payloads (currency `784`, country `AE`); the merchant template AID/identifier that AEP issues is not publicly documented, so a fully-acceptance-routable Aani QR still requires an AEP-onboarded acquirer to mint the merchant data. **Production bank apps consuming Aani** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE), [10][10]: | App | Bank | |---|---| | **FAB Mobile** | First Abu Dhabi Bank | | **Emirates NBD** | Emirates NBD | | **Mashreq Neo** | Mashreq | | **ADCB Mobile** | Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank | By **February 2025**, **57 licensed financial institutions** were live on Aani, including major banks and exchange houses; onboarding continues toward the full UAE LFI universe [10][10]. **Acquirer / merchant partnerships** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE), [10][10]: - **Magnati** (FAB's payment subsidiary) - **Mashreq Neo Pay** - **Network International** — the largest payment acquirer in the Middle East and Africa - Together these acquirers cover the bulk of UAE merchant payment-acceptance infrastructure; **80,000+ merchants** were enrolled by February 2025 [10][10]. **Reference documentation** [5][5], [6][6], [10][10], [11][11]: - [CBUAE Aani launch announcement PDF][5] - [Al Etihad Payments press release][6] - [About Aani — AEP][11] - [Aani 1.5M-users milestone press release — AEP, 27 Feb 2025][10] ## Comparison **vs. [Pix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/pix) (Brazil)** — Both are central-bank-orchestrated national instant payment systems with QR overlays. Aani is **much earlier in its scaling trajectory** (10 institutions in 2024 vs Pix's 1,300+ institutions by similar age); UAE's smaller banking-system universe (essentially all major banks are accounted for in Aani's launch partners) means scaling is more about merchant + consumer adoption than institution onboarding. Both ride central-bank-orchestrated instant payment rails [[pix-ref]]. **vs. [UPI QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/upi-qr) (India)** — Defining peer for the UAE-India remittance corridor. UPI is much larger (~250 B transactions / year vs Aani's early-stage scale), and the UAE-India cross-border integration aims to enable UAE-resident Indians to send money to India via UPI rails using their Aani-connected UAE bank accounts. This is one of the most strategically important cross-border instant-payment integrations in development globally [India report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/IN). **vs. [PromptPay QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/promptpay-qr) (Thailand) / [SGQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/sgqr) (Singapore) / [DuitNow QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/duitnow-qr) (Malaysia) / [QRIS](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/qris) (Indonesia)** — Same central-bank-orchestrated unified-QR pattern; same era of design / launch (2017–2023). Aani is the **GCC / Middle East entry** in this global family of national instant-payment-plus-QR systems [Singapore report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SG), [Malaysia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/MY), [Thailand report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TH), [Indonesia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/ID). **vs. [Wero](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/wero) (EU) / [Bizum](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bizum) (Spain) / [MB WAY QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mb-way-qr) (Portugal)** — Different region but similar bank-consortium-style national-mobile-payment lineage. The structural difference: Aani is operated by a **CBUAE subsidiary (AEP)** rather than a bank consortium — closer to Brazil's BCB-operated Pix or India's NPCI-operated UPI than to Europe's bank-consortium initiatives [[wero-ref], [bizum-ref]]. **vs. [MNB QR / Qvik](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mnb-qr) (Hungary, Qvik), [IRIS QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/iris-qr) (Greece)** — All three are 2023–2024-era central-bank-orchestrated national instant-payment platforms with QR overlays. Aani's distinctive feature: explicit alignment with the broader **FIT programme** including a planned **Digital Dirham CBDC**, signalling a longer-term roadmap beyond just instant payment + QR [[mnb-ref], [iris-ref]]. ## Fun facts **Aani's name comes from Arabic عاني meaning "instant"** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE) — making the brand culturally legible to Arabic-speaking consumers as "the instant payment thing." Most national payment systems use acronyms (UPI, SBP, NPP, NPCI) or descriptive English names (PromptPay, FastPay); the UAE's choice of a direct Arabic word reflects deliberate Arabic-first branding. **Aani launched as part of the FIT Programme alongside Digital Dirham development** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE) — the UAE is one of the few countries treating **instant payments + retail CBDC** as a coordinated single strategy rather than separate initiatives. Most peer countries develop their instant payment system first (Pix, UPI, SBP) and add CBDC later as a separate stream. CBUAE's parallel-track approach allows Aani and Digital Dirham to be designed for forward-compatibility from the start. **UAE-India UPI integration is one of the most strategically important cross-border instant-payment integrations in development globally** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE), [India report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/IN). The UAE hosts **3.5+ million Indian expat workers** who send substantial remittances home — currently routed through traditional money-transfer operators (Western Union, MoneyGram, exchange houses) with significant fees. A direct UAE Aani ↔ India UPI link would enable **near-fee-free instant remittance** for this corridor, with material consumer-welfare implications. **Al Fardan Exchange among the 8 launch partners** [1][1], [2][2] — notable because Al Fardan is a **currency exchange / remittance company**, not a bank. The UAE's launch-partner selection explicitly includes non-bank licensed financial institutions, signalling Aani's intent to cover the remittance / exchange-house segment alongside traditional banks. This is structurally different from many peer systems which launch with banks only. **The 70 % cashless target by 2030** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE) is among the most ambitious cashless-society goals globally. Comparable targets: - Sweden: ~80 % cashless already (highest in Europe) - Singapore: ~13 % cash at POS in 2024 - Japan: 42.8 % cashless in 2024 (exceeded its 40 % target) - UAE 2030 target of 70 % would put UAE among the world's leading cashless economies **Aani's transaction limit of AED 50,000 (~USD 13,612)** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE), [1][1] is mid-range among national instant-payment systems globally — lower than Russia's SBP (30 M RUB ~ USD 315 K self-transfer limit) but higher than India's UPI standard transactions (₹100,000 ~ USD 1,200). The limit reflects UAE's mid-range cost-of-living and consumer-transaction-size profile. ## Status **Active, early-scaling, FIT-programme-anchored** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE), [1][1]: - **Launched 16 October 2023** - **10 financial institutions** live (June 2024) → **57 LFIs** by Feb 2025 [10][10] - **1.5 million enrolled users** as of **27 February 2025** [10][10] — Andrew McCormack (COO, AEP) noted that on a UAE population of ~10 M, that's "about 15 per cent of the way there" - **80,000+ merchants** enrolled (Feb 2025) [10][10] - **27 % average month-on-month transaction growth** and **30 % monthly transaction-value growth** over the 12 months to Feb 2025 [10][10] - **AED 50,000 transaction limit** initially - **24/7/365 availability**, **<10-second** settlement target [11][11] - **Jaywan** — the UAE national domestic card scheme — scheduled for Q2 2025 rollout with universal contact + contactless POS acceptance, slotting alongside Aani in the AEP product family [10][10] **Strategic trajectory** [United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE): - **Continued LFI onboarding** through 2024 / 2025. - **Merchant QR expansion** via Magnati, Network International, Mashreq Neo Pay acquirer partnerships. - **UAE-India UPI cross-border integration** in development — strategically important. - **Digital Dirham (CBDC)** in parallel development; expected to integrate with Aani's QR / phone-number identifier framework. - **70 % cashless target by 2030** — Aani is a key infrastructure layer for achieving this CBUAE goal. No deprecation planned. Aani is the strategic UAE national instant-payment-platform under active scaling, with cross-border integration and CBDC integration both on the near-term roadmap. ## Sources [1]: https://www.centralbank.ae/en/news-and-publications/news-and-insights/press-release/al-etihad-payments-launches-aani-an-instant-payments-platform-for-digital-transactions-in-the-uae/ [2]: https://fintechmagazine.com/articles/uae-central-bank-launches-instant-payments-platform-aani [3]: https://gsstechgroup.com/npss-uaeipp/ [4]: https://www.pymnts.com/news/faster-payments/2023/uae-central-bank-launches-instant-payment-platform-aani/ [5]: https://www.centralbank.ae/media/eccjvuib/al-etihad-payments-launches-aani-a-instant-payments-platform-for-digital-transactions-in-the-uae-en.pdf [6]: https://aep.ae/en/news-media/press-releasesarticles/al-etihad-payments-launches-aani-an-instant-payments-platform-for-digital-transactions-in-the-uae/ [7]: https://www.fintechfutures.com/instant-real-time-payments/uae-s-central-bank-launches-aani-a-new-instant-payments-platform [8]: https://cbpn.currencyresearch.com/blog/2024/01/26/al-etihad-payments-aani-instant-payments-platform-redefining-uaes-financial-landscape [9]: https://www.transfi.com/blog/united-arab-emirates-payment-rails-how-they-work---uaefts-instant-payments-mobile-wallet-growth [10]: https://aep.ae/en/news-media/press-releasesarticles/uae-instant-payments-platform-aani-signs-up-15-million-users/ [11]: https://aep.ae/en/services/about-aani/ [12]: https://github.com/mvallim/emv-qrcode [13]: https://github.com/mercari/go-emv-code [14]: https://github.com/dongri/emv-qrcode [15]: https://ddnews.gov.in/en/upi-poised-for-widespread-adoption-in-uae-as-qr-code-payments-become-mainstream/ [ae-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE [pix-ref]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/standards/pix [in-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/IN [sg-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SG [my-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/MY [th-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TH [id-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/ID [wero-ref]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/standards/wero [bizum-ref]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/standards/bizum [mnb-ref]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/standards/mnb-qr [iris-ref]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/standards/iris-qr 1. [Aani launch — CBUAE press release][1] 2. [UAE CBUAE launches Aani — Fintech Magazine][2] 3. [UAE IPP under FIT — GSS Tech][3] 4. [UAE Aani launch — PYMNTS][4] 5. [Aani launch PDF — CBUAE media][5] 6. [Al Etihad Payments press release][6] 7. [UAE central bank launches Aani — Fintech Futures][7] 8. [Aani redefining UAE's financial landscape — Central Bank Payments News][8] 9. [UAE payment rails — Transfi][9] 10. [Aani signs up 1.5M users — AEP press release, 27 Feb 2025][10] 11. [About Aani — Al Etihad Payments][11] 12. [mvallim/emv-qrcode — GitHub][12] 13. [mercari/go-emv-code — GitHub][13] 14. [dongri/emv-qrcode — GitHub][14] 15. [UPI in UAE — DD News][15] 16. [AE-uae.md][United Arab Emirates report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE) ## Deployments Found in the following country reports (grep across `reports/countries/`): - **AE** — [AE-uae.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AE)