UAE dirham symbol joins Unicode 18.0, clearing path to phone keyboards

Unicode assigned the symbol the code point U+20C3. That is the industry identifier software needs before the sign can appear next to other currency characters in text. The consortium’s September update also added the Maldivian rufiyaa and Omani rial signs in the same release.

In its announcement, Unicode called the dirham sign one of the release’s “most anticipated new characters”. It said each of the three symbols had already been authorised for public use by the relevant monetary authority, but digital use had been held back by the lack of a shared encoding. “Vendors are now able to implement support for these symbols,” the organisation said.

What changes for residents

Unicode 18.0 does not put a dirham key on every phone overnight. Device makers, operating systems, font providers, keyboard apps and website platforms each have to ship their own updates. Residents may see the sign in an updated banking app or price page before it shows up on a phone keyboard.

Unicode has given no date for universal availability. Some older devices may never gain native support if makers stop issuing updates. Until software catches up, businesses may still show the sign as an image or use a custom font.

Once support lands, the shared character helps prices, invoices and other financial text use one consistent glyph instead of workarounds. That matters for anyone who compares online prices, pays bills, or builds local apps that display money amounts in dirhams.

How the symbol was designed

The Central Bank of the UAE unveiled the official dirham symbol on 27 March 2025. Unicode’s specification says the design takes a “D” form from dirham and adds two horizontal lines inspired by the UAE flag. Those lines also stand for the currency’s financial and monetary stability.

The Central Bank published style guidance that shows how the symbol could sit on the number 6 key. Final keyboard placement still depends on the companies that build keyboards and layouts.

The bank’s Unicode submission said the glyph is original, does not rely on a licensed font, and is meant for everyday public, business and government use. After the symbol launch, the bank applied for inclusion so the sign could move onto technology platforms as part of a wider push to deepen the UAE’s role as a financial centre.

Scale of the Unicode update

Unicode 18.0 adds 13,007 characters, including nine new emoji characters. That brings the total encoded characters in the standard to 172,808, according to the consortium.

For UAE residents, the practical takeaway is simple: the blocking step for a standard digital dirham sign is now cleared. The next visible change depends on when Apple, Google, Microsoft, banks and app makers roll the character into their products.