Al Ansari Exchange
UAE exchange house
A long-established UAE money exchange and remittance house operating since 1966, now part of the publicly listed Al Ansari Financial Services PJSC, which the company states is the largest non-banking financial services provider in the GCC by branch network.
Last updated June 2026
At a glance
- Founded
- 1966, founded by the late Ali Abualhassan Al Ansari (first branch opened in Abu Dhabi)
- Headquarters
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Al Ansari Business Center, Al Barsha 1, Dubai)
- Legal entity
- Al Ansari Exchange LLC, operated under the listed parent Al Ansari Financial Services PJSC
- Regulation
- Licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) as an exchange/remittance business under the CBUAE Regulations Regarding Licensing and Monitoring of Exchange Business
- Subject to CBUAE AML/CFT requirements for licensed exchange houses, including funds-transfer and cross-border remittance rules
- Parent Al Ansari Financial Services PJSC is a public joint-stock company listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM, ticker ALANSARI) and subject to DFM/UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) disclosure rules
- Following the April 2025 BFC Group acquisition, group entities also operate under the respective regulators in Bahrain (Central Bank of Bahrain), Kuwait and India
Is Al Ansari Exchange safe and trustworthy?
Evidence points to a well-established, regulated institution. Al Ansari Exchange has operated since 1966, is licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE, and since 2023 its parent has been a publicly listed company on the Dubai Financial Market, subjecting it to audited financial reporting and securities-market disclosure. The company states it is the UAE's largest exchange house by branch network, and for FY2025 it reported net profit after tax of about AED 401 million. Its mobile apps carry high user ratings (around 4.5 to 4.7 stars on the App Store and Google Play per store listings). As with any provider, prospective users should confirm current licensing and corridor terms directly.
History of Al Ansari Exchange
Al Ansari Exchange began in 1966 as an offshoot of the Al Ansari family's trading business, opening its first branch in Abu Dhabi to serve foreign-exchange and remittance needs before formal banking was widely established in the UAE (per the company's official history). It expanded its branch network over the following decades, opening its first international branch in Kuwait in 2002, its 100th UAE branch (Souk Madinat Jumeirah, around 2010, per company history) and its 200th in September 2021. The business is chaired by Mohammad Ali Al Ansari, son of the founder, with Rashed Ali Al Ansari as Group CEO; the founding family retains control through Al Ansari Holding following the April 2023 IPO, in which about 10% of shares were floated (The National, 2023).
Growth and scale
The group scaled from a single Abu Dhabi branch in 1966 to roughly 285 UAE branches by 2025, and the company reports serving around 3 million customers monthly and processing about 120,000 remittance transactions per day (company figures). Total transactions grew about 10% year-on-year to 28 million in H1 2025 (Gulf News/AGBI). The USD 200 million acquisition of Bahrain-based BFC Group, completed in April 2025, increased the customer base by about 29% and the branch network by about 60%, taking the consolidated group to 444 physical branches at FY-end 2025 (up from 267 a year earlier), of which 160 were acquired with BFC across Bahrain, Kuwait and India (FY25 results).
Where it stands today
Active and publicly traded. Parent Al Ansari Financial Services PJSC has listed on the Dubai Financial Market (ticker ALANSARI) since its April 2023 IPO, which raised about AED 773 million. For FY2025 the group reported net profit after tax of about AED 401 million (USD 109.2 million), broadly flat year-on-year (down about 1%), operating income up 12% to AED 1.29 billion, and an EBITDA margin of about 44% (Zawya/Reuters, Feb 2026). It completed the USD 200 million BFC Group acquisition in April 2025, which the company states made it the largest non-banking financial institution in the GCC by branch network, and stated its 2026 priorities as digital transformation, branch-network optimization and realizing BFC integration synergies.
Does Al Ansari Exchange give the best rate?
Generally positioned as a mainstream, competitively priced provider on high-volume corridors rather than the rock-bottom-cost option. It typically charges a transparent flat transfer fee (commonly in the AED 15-30 range on instant transfers to corridors like India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Nepal) plus an exchange-rate spread/margin layered on the mid-market rate. World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide data for the UAE-to-Philippines corridor has shown fees around AED 28-30 with FX margins of well under 1% on some products. Digital-only money-transfer specialists can sometimes beat its all-in cost, while its branch network and instant-credit options add convenience value. Actual best value varies by corridor, amount and day, so a live rate comparison should decide.
Compare Al Ansari Exchange's live rateWho Al Ansari Exchange is best for
Expatriates in the UAE sending remittances to high-volume South Asian and Southeast Asian corridors (India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka), where instant bank-credit and wallet options are typically available. Strong for customers who value an extensive physical branch network for cash payouts and in-person service alongside a well-rated mobile app, and for those who prefer a long-established, Central Bank-licensed, publicly listed provider.
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Sources
Important — please read
Last updated June 2026. This page is provided for general information only and is compiled from publicly available sources, accurate to the best of our knowledge at the date shown. Information can change and may contain errors or omissions. Rate Wala is an independent comparison service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of Al Ansari Exchange.
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