Orient Exchange
UAE exchange house
A long-established, family-run UAE exchange house offering money exchange, outward remittances and corporate payroll (WPS) services, regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE.
Last updated June 2026
At a glance
- Founded
- Forex business dates to 1923 (company-stated), associated with founder the late Parmanand Jethanand; rebranded "Orient Exchange Co." in 1986 and incorporated as an L.L.C. in 1994.
- Headquarters
- Deira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Legal entity
- Orient Exchange Co. (L.L.C.)
- Regulation
- Licensed and regulated as an exchange house by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) — under CBUAE oversight since 1982 and subject to its Regulations Regarding Licensing and Monitoring of Exchange Business
- Member of the Foreign Exchange and Remittance Group (FERG), the UAE industry body for licensed exchange houses (company director Rajiv Raipancholia is listed as FERG Treasurer)
- Customers should confirm the current licence on the CBUAE licensed-exchange register before transacting; a live register entry was not independently re-confirmed for this profile
Is Orient Exchange safe and trustworthy?
Evidence points to an established, regulated operator. Orient Exchange Co. (L.L.C.) has operated in the UAE for roughly a century according to the company (forex business since 1923), has been under Central Bank of the UAE regulation since 1982, and is a member of the UAE industry body FERG, with a company director listed as FERG Treasurer. The company states it maintains formal Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) programs overseen by a centralized compliance department. As with any exchange house, customers should still verify current licence status on the CBUAE register and confirm live fees before transacting.
History of Orient Exchange
Orient Exchange traces its roots to the Arabian Trading Agency Group, a pearl- and bullion-trading business active in Sharjah and Dubai. Per the company's own account, founder Parmanand Jethanand arrived in Sharjah in 1917, moved into gold-bullion trade around 1920, and in 1923 established a dedicated foreign-exchange operation; these pre-regulatory origins are company-reported. The business held a Dubai Municipality licence by 1963, came under Central Bank of the UAE regulation in 1982 (then trading as "Arabian Trading Agency - Exchange"), rebranded as Orient Exchange Co. in 1986, and converted to a limited liability company (Orient Exchange Co. L.L.C.) in 1994. It remains a family-run company; Rajiv Raipancholia, a director/executive of the firm, also serves as Treasurer of the UAE's Foreign Exchange and Remittance Group (FERG).
Growth and scale
From a single counter, the company describes its UAE presence as a network of 40+ branches across all seven emirates, though independent secondary sources cite lower figures (for example 27-33), so the exact count is unverified. It is part of a wider group with separately operated and branded entities in markets including Hong Kong, Malaysia and India; the India arm (Orient Exchange & Financial Services Pvt Ltd) is a distinct business and should not be conflated with the UAE company. Specific transfer volumes and customer counts are not disclosed in credible public sources (unknown).
Where it stands today
Active as of mid-2026. The UAE company continues to operate its branch network and offers remittances, currency exchange, credit-card and VAT payments, the Orient Gold Card and Orient Money, and Wage Protection System (WPS) payroll services. No public IPO, major funding round, acquisition or merger involving the UAE entity was found in credible sources (unknown). Note that recent product news referencing the Uni-Pay Card and related items relates to the group's separately branded India operation, not the UAE L.L.C.
Does Orient Exchange give the best rate?
Operates on the typical exchange-house model: revenue comes mainly from the exchange-rate spread, often combined with a modest flat transfer fee that varies by corridor and payout method. The company does not publish a blanket "best rate" claim; it provides downloadable charge sheets and key-fact statements per service. As a long-established branch-based house it is generally positioned as a mainstream option rather than a deep-discount digital challenger, but the actual best deal depends on the specific corridor, amount and day — a live rate comparison should decide.
Compare Orient Exchange's live rateWho Orient Exchange is best for
UAE-based remitters and businesses who value an established, branch-accessible, Central Bank-regulated provider — for cash or account-funded outward transfers, salary/WPS payroll disbursement, and bank-to-bank remittances. Useful for South Asian and broader corridors served through its bank and money-transfer partnerships; less suited to users seeking a fully app-first, instant-transfer digital experience.
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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 Orient Exchange.
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