How to Transfer Money from Russia to the UAE in 2026

Transferring money from Russia to the United Arab Emirates in 2026 is no easy task. Banking channels are increasingly subject to increased scrutiny, and commissions and processing times are rising rapidly. For Russians who want to send funds to Dubai or Abu Dhabi, it is important to choose a method that actually works, is not blocked, and does not require exorbitant commissions. We tell you what options are currently available.

In this article:

What are the working ways to transfer money from Russia to the UAE in 2025
1.1 SWIFT transfers through banks
1.2 Money transfer systems
1.3 Online exchangers
Smart choice: why exchangers have become the main solution for transfers to the UAE

What are the working ways to transfer money from Russia to the UAE in 2025

Since 2022, the financial landscape of Russia has changed dramatically: a number of major banks (Sberbank, VTB, Alfa-Bank, Otkritie, Tinkoff) have been disconnected from SWIFT and lost the ability to fully service international transfers, including to the UAE.

To send money today, you have to look for channels that actually work. Let's analyze 3 available methods of transferring funds.

SWIFT transfers through banks

Despite all the restrictions, the SWIFT system remains one of the few legal ways to make international transfers from Russia to the UAE. However, today this channel is only available through a limited number of banks that have maintained correspondent relations with financial institutions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

How does it work? SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) is a global network that facilitates the exchange of messages between banks. When a client sends a transfer, their bank creates a SWIFT message with the recipient's details and transmits it through the network to a correspondent bank in the UAE. After verification and conversion, the funds are credited to the recipient's account.

Banks through which transfers are still possible:

Maritime Bank — is on the list of banks that have not been subject to restrictions and continues to carry out international transfers, including to the UAE.
Asia-Pacific Bank (ATB) — makes transfers in AED (dirhams) and USD, if necessary through intermediary banks.
OTP Bank — provides international operations in "manual mode", with prior agreement on the destination.

According to Banki.ru and Kommersant (2025), these three banks are included in the list of Russian SWIFT participants that still have active channels for settlements with Middle Eastern banks.

Important nuances:

Commission: from 3% to 5%, depending on the route and currency.
Transfer time: from 2 to 5 business days; when checking the source of funds — up to 10 days.
Currency: rubles are converted into US dollars or dirhams (AED).
Checks: all transfers are checked for compliance with international anti-money laundering rules, especially if the amount exceeds $10,000.

Let's say an entrepreneur from Moscow sends $15,000 to a partner's account at Emirates NBD bank. The transfer is carried out through Maritime Bank: the client fills out an application, confirms the origin of the money and passes the standard check. The bank converts rubles into dollars and sends the transfer via SWIFT. The recipient sees the money in their account within a few days. The commission and term depend on the sender's bank and the recipient's bank.

Money transfer systems

After 2022, most international money transfer systems (PayPal, Wise, PaySend, Skrill, Paysera, Profee) officially stopped serving clients from Russia. But one legal and accessible service remained on the market through which you can send funds to the UAE — SendNOW.

How SendNOW works:

SendNOW is an international service created for transfers between the CIS countries, Asia and the Middle East. For Russians, it is now the only officially functioning system through which you can legally transfer money to the UAE. It supports UAE banks, including Emirates NBD, ADCB, Mashreq Bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank.

The transfer is carried out according to a simple scheme:

The sender registers in the application or on the website.
Enters the recipient's details (full name and account number in a UAE bank).
Pays for the transfer from a Russian card (MIR, Visa, Mastercard, depending on the partner bank).
Funds are credited to the account in dirhams (AED) within 5–30 minutes.

What to pay attention to:

For large transfers (from 500,000 ₽), the system may request documents confirming the origin of funds.
Some UAE banks periodically introduce temporary limits on incoming payments from Russia — it is recommended to check in advance.
You should always check the SendNOW website for updates on destinations and partners, as the list of available countries and currencies may change.

Online exchangers

Now online exchangers are one of the few really working tools for transferring money from Russia to the UAE. They allow you to quickly send funds to the recipient in the Emirates without the participation of banks and the SWIFT network.

How does it work? The user selects the desired exchange direction. For example, "SBP → First Abu Dhabi Bank" or "USDT TRC20 → cash UAE". The direction immediately includes the payment method and the method of receipt.

After that, an application is made, it will show the exact exchange rate and commission. The user makes a payment, he receives confirmation that the payment has been accepted. If the transfer in AED goes to the card of a local bank, the recipient sees the credit to the account. If cash is selected, the service informs the address of the point of issue and the amount to be received.

On average, the process takes from ten to thirty minutes, but the time depends on the direction, amount and speed of banking operations.

Why this method is gaining popularity:

Speed. Funds arrive quickly enough, even on weekends.
Availability. Cards of Russian banks are accepted, including the MIR system.
Minimum bureaucracy. Most often, identity verification or confirmation of the source of funds is not required.
Flexibility. You can choose any currency: dollars (USD), dirhams (AED) or cryptocurrency (BTC/ETH/USDT).

Important! Since the exchanger market is not regulated, you should carefully check their reliability. There are many dubious platforms that delay payments or block transfers under the pretext of AML checks. Therefore, you should be as selective as possible. In order not to stumble upon an unscrupulous platform, you can use the Antiswap monitoring. It collects data on almost a thousand exchangers and shows their rates, turnover and reputation. Based on this information, each service receives its status, so that it is easier for the user to understand who can be trusted:

Honest (no reviews about withholding clients' money).
Neutral (there were blockages, but the funds were returned minus the commission).
SCAM (there were cases of blocking funds under AML, KYC verification request).

Smart choice: why exchangers have become the main solution for transfers to the UAE

Financial rules are constantly changing, and the usual methods of transfer no longer work as before. Many banks have restricted international operations, and some services require additional checks. Because of this, users are increasingly choosing online exchangers as a more convenient and predictable tool.

Exchangers have what official channels lack. Transfers are faster, available even with restrictions, and do not require lengthy procedures. The user sees the rate, commission and conditions immediately, without hidden steps.

At the same time, it is important to remember that the available methods may change. Today one direction works, tomorrow others appear. Therefore, before transferring, you should check the relevance of exchange rates, limits and the reputation of the selected service.