I owe Dh25,000 on a personal loan and am now stuck in India because of the Covid-19 flight restrictions. I borrowed the money for some business affairs in India and have only paid two of the loan's monthly Dh765 instalments so far.
I went on annual leave to India on March 2 to see my family with the intention of returning to the UAE on March 31. However, the flight restrictions then prevented my return.
At the start of April, my employer stopped paying my salary due to the pandemic and there is no indication as to when my income will return.
Every personal finance customer at my bank received a one-month deferment for April, so I then applied for a further three-month deferment on the loan with a letter from my employer explaining I was on unpaid leave.
I have savings in India and can afford to repay the debt. I could ask a friend to make the repayments for May and June on my behalf but will that solve my problem?
I was hoping that would deal with the May, June and July payments, however, I have still not received a reply from the bank. I have followed up by email and phone but no one picks up in the collections department. I even tried contacting them through Twitter.
In the meantime, the bank is sending me messages that say my loan is in arrears, that I must pay the full payment and that my credit rating has been downgraded.
I have applied to return to the UAE but I am still waiting to re-enter and resume my work. I work in Dubai in the money exchange sector and earn Dh4,200 a month. I should be able to return within a month to tie in with my return to work. I live in Sharjah.
I have savings in India and can afford to repay the debt. I could ask a friend to make the repayments for May and June on my behalf but will that solve my problem? I am particularly concerned about my credit score being affected.
I am 36 and support family in India while my monthly expenses in the UAE come to about Dh2,000. I am still waiting to hear from the bank. What steps should I take now? SS, India
Debt panellist 1: R Sivaram, executive vice president, head of retail banking products, Emirates NBD
I recommend you continue trying to reach your bank and seek a telephone appointment with the concerned department. Provide documentary evidence of your current employment status along with proof of your salary reduction. It would be advisable to also demonstrate that you intend to service the remaining instalments of your loan diligently and that you remain fully committed to clearing the outstanding dues.
It would also be best that you seek help to settle the two outstanding loan instalments due and then ask for deferrals of your future loan instalments. Having a job in hand definitely works in your favour and taking this proactive step to settle your dues will further strengthen your deferral request.
Given that you are being forthcoming about managing your financial commitments with no delinquent history, I am sure your bank will view this favourably and find a suitable solution to address your current financial predicament.
Debt panellist 2: Ambareen Musa, founder and chief executive of Souqalmal.com
It seems unfair on the bank's part to not offer you the three-month payment break, even after you submitted an official letter from the employer seeking the deferral. However, there are certain terms and conditions attached to this debt relief measure. For example, the borrower's repayments should be on schedule and not in default for them to qualify for the instalment holiday. Even if that's the cause of the misunderstanding with the bank, it should have clarified the reasons for not processing your loan deferment request.
Since you've already tried to reach the bank through multiple channels, you may have to take a different course. One option is to consider signing over a Power of Attorney to a trusted relative or friend based in the UAE, who is willing to personally follow up with the lender on your behalf. Alternatively, lodge a formal complaint with the Central Bank of the UAE.
Your worries about this situation affecting your credit score are also legitimate. Have you tried to download your credit report and credit score details through the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB) mobile app? Reviewing your credit history will give you an accurate picture of how the bank has treated your loan instalments and whether or not it has levied any non-payment penalties on the unpaid balance. It will also help you figure out exactly how much you owe to the bank and may even give you a basis for taking up your case legally, since the bank has in no way offered you any explanation on the loan deferral rejection.
If following up with the bank does reveal a valid reason for the rejection of your deferment request, then you must be financially prepared to repay your overdue instalments to regularise your loan and avoid a further negative impact on your credit score.
Debt panellist 3: Stuart Ritchie, chartered financial planner at AES International
While you are still out of the UAE, I would suggest keeping note of all the times you have contacted the bank.
Once you return to the UAE and present your evidence to the bank, you can apply to AECB to have any errors on your credit report corrected. As per the AECB’s website: “[For] data correction – to resolve inaccurate information in your credit report – you will need to contact AECB’s contact centre and we can assist you to raise the date correction with the respective information provider."
In the UAE, as a result of the rare Covid-19 pandemic, all loan and credit card customers were permitted to make a request to postpone payments by one to up to six months with interest deferred. What customers actually receive depends on the bank they are with and the type of loan they have. However, many loan customers, who were either placed on unpaid leave by their employers or received a salary cut as a result of the virus, received a payment deferral of up to three months.
Based on these statements, if your bank agrees to the backdated three-month deferment, I would double check that they do not charge additional interest.
On another note, if your current expenses including your loan equate to Dh2,000, I would highly recommend paying more towards your loan (if it is affordable) to reduce the time you spend paying it off and the overall interest.
The Debt Panel is a weekly column to help readers tackle their debts more effectively. If you have a question for the panel, write to pf@thenational.ae
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
BLACKBERRY
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Matt%20Johnson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Jay%20Baruchel%2C%20Glenn%20Howerton%2C%20Matt%20Johnson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
More Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions:
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
