UAE central bank boosts gold reserves by 26% to $7.9bn in first 5 months

RIYADH: Gold reserves held by the Central Bank of the UAE increased by 25.9 percent during the first five months of 2025 to reach 28.93 billion dirhams ($7.9 billion).

The regulator’s statistical bulletin revealed that the UAE’s gold holdings also edged up on a monthly basis, recording a 0.49 percent rise in May to 28.79 billion dirhams, compared to 28.65 billion dirhams at the end of April, Emirates News Agency reported.

In addition to stronger gold reserves, the bulletin showed that demand deposits grew significantly, surpassing 1.16 trillion dirhams by the end of May. This was an increase from 1.10 trillion dirhams at the end of 2024.

Of the total, 892.57 billion dirhams were held in local currency, while 274.33 billion dirhams were in foreign currencies.

Savings deposits also registered a sharp increase, climbing to 359.57 billion dirhams by the end of May from 317.48 billion dirhams in December. Local currency savings accounted for 305.51 billion dirhams, while the figure for foreign currency stood at 54.06 billion dirhams.