Can you believe that National Bonds has awarded 100 people Dh1 million? I can't, probably because I'm extremely disappointed that I'm not one of them and also because it means that more than five years have passed since I bought my first certificate. My, how time goes by.
But the fact that the UAE's largest and most persified savings rewards scheme - which celebrated its fifth anniversary earlier this year - has hit such a big milestone is a big turnaround for the nation. Why? Because it shows that the UAE is finally seriously committed to becoming a nation of savers rather than a nation of spenders.
The days of flashing the cash on the latest car, gadget, watch or designer outfit may not be completely over, but at least some of us are learning to put a little bit away for a rainy day.
There are now more than 630,000 customers spread across 200 nationalities who have invested Dh4 billion into National Bonds. It has also distributed more than Dh280m in prizes. That's a lot of winnings, of which I've probably only seen a few hundred - sadly.
The Sharia-compliant savings scheme's latest Dh1m winner is S Abdul Rahman, an Emirati, who says all nine members of his family are National Bonds holders.
"We have been savers with the scheme since its inception and we plan on reinvesting some of our savings back in to bonds," he says.
So for those who want to know who has won what, here are a couple of statistics for you:
• 39 per cent of National Bonds' millionaires have been UAE Nationals
• 36 per cent have been Asian expats
• 13 per cent have been Arab expats
• 5 per cent have Western expats
• 7 per cent are from other nationalities
Even more interesting is the fact that 70 per cent of winners are aged 25 to 60, two winners were under the age of two and a further two winners were over 75. And with an average time of two years for a National Bonds holder to become a winner, it shows there is still a chance for me, especially as one man won the big prize twice. However, with only 37 of the 100 Dh1m prizes going to women, I might have a slight disadvantage. Wish me luck!
