Start your own digital banking app in Dubai and take on First Abu Dhabi Bank and Liv
By SendPay Business · · 4 min read
- 1Name it and pick your colours
- 2Choose what it does
- 3Launch when you are ready
Dubai is one of the biggest money cities in the UAE. The UAE is one of the world's busiest hubs for sending money home, and its residents expect everything on their phone. Most of it flows through First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emirates NBD and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, plus apps like Liv and Wio. A brand built for Dubai, its neighbourhoods, communities and small businesses, can win people the national giants treat as just another account number.
How Dubai pays today
Dubai is a global money crossroads: DIFC, its financial free zone, has its own regulator, the DFSA, and huge numbers of workers send money home every month.
That makes the city a natural home for a money transfer or account brand built for one community, whether that's Filipino, Indian, Pakistani or African workers.
Who you'd be competing with in Dubai
The big banks, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emirates NBD and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, are everywhere in Dubai. The apps, like Liv and Wio, won people over by being simpler. Your edge is being local: your language, your community, your city's name on the card.
Try it
Name your platform and watch it come to life
Type a name, tap a colour and pick what it does. The phone changes as you go.
Colour
What it does
Design and preview your whole platform free, then launch when you are ready.
What you can launch under your own brand
An everyday account app with balances and a branded card, a money transfer app, a payment-link product for invoices, a marketplace that pays its sellers, or a membership platform. Each is a template: your name, your colours, your domain, your fees.
How it works, in a few clicks
Pick the template closest to your idea, type your platform name and preview every page before you launch.
0 of 5 done
Tick each step as you do it, so you can see what is left.
You set the fees, you keep them
Charge 1%, 2.9% or nothing: it's your call. On every dirham your users move, your platform earns the fee you set.
How it works
Money on its way- 1Pick who to pay and type the amount
- 2Tap send and it is on its way
- 3It lands in their account
Permissions: the honest part
The accounts, cards and payments behind your platform are powered by licensed partners. Depending on what your platform does and who it serves, you may also need your own registration, and serving customers in the UAE can bring local rules from the Central Bank of the UAE. We tell you in writing which permissions apply to your platform before you launch, and introduce specialists who handle them. We are not licensed advisers and don't guarantee outcomes.
Why sign up
Create your free SendPay account
It's all about creating your own financial platform with ease. Start with a free account today.
- 🪪A free business accountOpen it in about a minute with your business name, email, password and mobile. No card and no documents to start.
- 💳Get paid from day oneTake card payments, and share your own payment link and invoices so customers pay in a click.
- 🌐A free business websiteFree to build, free to publish and free to keep, with unlimited visits.
- 🚀Your own financial platformDesign and preview your whole platform free, then launch when you are ready.
SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank. Accounts, cards and payments are powered by licensed partners.
Questions people ask
Can I really compete with First Abu Dhabi Bank in Dubai?
Not on size on day one. But you can beat any big bank on focus: a platform built for one city, community or kind of customer, with a better experience and fairer fees.
Can I call it a bank?
In most countries, including the UAE, "bank" is a protected word you can only use with a banking licence. Call it an account, an app or a platform.
Is SendPay Business connected to First Abu Dhabi Bank or Liv?
No. We name them only to describe the market. SendPay Business is an independent technology company, not a bank.
Should I put Dubai in my app's name?
It can help if you only plan to serve Dubai, because people trust a local name. If you want to grow across the UAE later, pick a name that still works outside the city. The free name generator gives you ideas and opens your favourite straight in the builder.
Payment app name generator →How much could a platform in Dubai earn?
It depends on how many people in Dubai use it, how much they move and the fee you set. Put your own numbers into the free calculator.
Platform earnings calculator →Is there a guide for the whole of the UAE?
Yes, the UAE guide covers the national picture.
UAE guide →Is there a step-by-step plan I can follow?
Yes. The free launch checklist takes you from picking your people and naming your app to setting fees, going live and winning your first ten customers. Tick each step off as you go.
Digital bank app launch checklist →How do I start?
Pick a template, name it and preview every page before you launch. Your platform can be live on your own domain within 24 hours of confirmation.
Build my platform →Read next
Spotted a mistake or something out of date? and we'll fix it. How our guides are made
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. Other companies named in this guide are reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.