How often do you use cash? Surveys indicate that the majority of us expect the UAE to be cashless by the end of the decade. Cash, they say, is no longer king. A simple personal audit of day-to-day spending could tell you that prediction seems firmly on track.
In my own world, regular cash transactions have now largely shrunk to a triptych of neighbourhood shops: the local bakery where customers queue to buy straight-out-of-the-oven flatbread with dirham coins, the always-busy laundry next door and the baqala a few metres further on from that, although it has a card reader and is happy to take digital payments.
Apart from that, any cash we have in the house is usually reserved for the “tipping economy”, principally for the delivery people who arrive on the doorstep. But again, their presence has usually been triggered by a digital payment. The transition to cash-free or cashless is happening quickly, and almost all at once, all over the world – induced, accelerated and cemented by the habits most were required to adopt during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Even the previous widespread practice of writing multiple post-dated cheques to cover future instalments of car loans or rent is in decline.
I’ve written before about my landlord’s preference to receive post-dated rent cheques and mine for sending him the money by bank transfer. I fully expect us to conduct a similar negotiation over this for some time to come, but most other regular payments in my monthly outgoings are cashless, of course, whether that is for streaming services, social club memberships or even school fees, with direct debit schemes replacing previous practices of cash or cheques.
The immediacy of digital should far outweigh legacy products, but people also have a nostalgic and emotional attachment to the past
In our ever more frictionless and digital lives, even paying for parking involves a requirement for data and an app, rather than scrambling for discarded loose change in your car’s cup holders, as one did in bygone years.
On a recent short trip to the UK, I didn’t use cash once, although given that a cluster of European nations, including the British Isles, are regarded as the most cash-free economies in the world, that’s no real surprise.
While some of us like to carry some small quantities of local currency when travelling to pay for taxis, tips, souvenirs and sundries, that may be out of long-held habit rather than genuine necessity.
So where does that leave cash?
Even those elements of the informal and formal economy that still trigger cash payments may soon be, or are already, switching to app-based services or phone-to-phone transfers. And, the UAE has previously been ranked high on those cashless league tables.
Beyond that, much of the debate about “digital payments or paper currency” could easily settle within the framework that audiophiles use to argue about the merits of listening to music through a physical medium as opposed to on a streaming platform, such as Spotify or Apple Music, or the pros and cons of books versus eReaders, or even printed newspapers versus catching up with news online.
But all of those are asymmetrical arguments of habit, taste and ritual.
The immediacy of digital should far outweigh legacy products, but people also have a nostalgic and emotional attachment to the past and, perhaps, an awareness that physical unwired objects are immutable when the worst digital crisis happens, such as during last month’s Crowdstrike-induced global outage.
I’d also argue that some of the most valuable and hardest lessons on monthly budgeting can be learnt from cash or envelope stuffing rather than on an app, although a third way would be to use a prepaid credit card, essentially a digital envelope in this example to pay for regular outgoings in particularly tough or budgetary-constrained months.
It would also be good to see data on the longer-term impact on charitable donations by the apparent shift away from cash, although previous World Bank data found, perhaps predictably, that young people made charitable contributions through digital means during Ramadan. This suggests that the convenience factor may help rather than hinder donations in future.
So, cash is no longer king? In some nations it no longer has a seat at the top table. In the UAE, there are also points to note on both ends of the debate. Recent Central Bank data points to slightly less currency being issued (0.4 per cent) in January this year and more currency being in circulation (Dh900 million) outside banks.
What that suggests is that we won’t be completely cashless for a while yet. The economy still has places where cash has utility, even if its usefulness ebbs and flows like the tide. It also hints that those clothes in your wardrobe may still have pockets with discarded cash in them, just like decades ago.
World%20Cup%202023%20ticket%20sales
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Argentina 47 (Tries: Sanchez, Tuculet (2), Mallia (2), De La Fuente, Bertranou; Cons: Sanchez 5, Urdapilleta)
United States 17 (Tries: Scully (2), Lasike; Cons: MacGinty)
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
