Seven more banks and exchanges join the UAE's new salary system, WPS

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has added seven financial institutions to the upgraded Wages Protection System (WPS), the system through which private companies in the UAE pay their staff. The new partners are First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emirates NBD, Mashreq, Dubai Islamic Bank, Ajman Bank, Lari Exchange and First Gulf Exchange Centre. With them, 17 banks and exchange houses now offer the new version of the system, Khaleej Times reported on 28 October.

The ministry says the change takes away two steps that used to slow employers down. Companies no longer have to submit documents or go to a bank or exchange house in person to register for WPS. Registration is done digitally through an institution that is linked directly to the ministry's systems, and the service is given instantly. Emirates 24|7 reported that the new process needs about 90 per cent less data entry than before.

The upgraded WPS was launched in December 2025 by MoHRE with the Central Bank of the UAE and Al Etihad Payments, the central bank's payments company, which builds and runs the platform. Banks and exchange houses connect to it through secure links that pass data between them in real time, which the ministry says makes salary records more accurate and quicker to process. The system is being widened step by step, which is why more institutions are joining in stages.

WPS matters to almost everyone in a private-sector job here. According to Khaleej Times, it covers more than 99 per cent of private-sector workers, and an average of Dh37 billion in salaries passes through it every month. Dalal Alshehhi, MoHRE's Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Protection, said the system had "evolved from a wage-compliance mechanism into a comprehensive digital financial ecosystem".

For employers, the practical change is choice and speed: a company that banks with one of the seven new partners can now register for the upgraded system with that bank or exchange house online, without paperwork. For employees, nothing needs to be done; the ministry presents the upgrade as a way to make salary payments more reliable and easier to trace. The ministry has not published any new fees or deadlines linked to the expansion, so employers who are unsure which version their company is on should ask their bank or exchange house, or check MoHRE's website and app.