Dublin, Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The “United Arab Emirates Gift Card Business and Investment Opportunities Databook – 90+ KPIs on Gift Card Market Size, Retail & Corporate Spend, Competitive Landscape, and Consumer Demographics – Q1 2026 Update” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.
The Gift Card market in the United Arab Emirates is expected to grow by 10.5% on annual basis to reach US$2.43 billion in 2026. The gift card market in the country has experienced robust growth during 2021-2025, achieving a CAGR of 11.3%. This upward trajectory is expected to continue, with the market forecast to grow at a CAGR of 9.9% from 2026-2030. By the end of 2030, the Gift Card sector is projected to expand from its 2025 value of USD 2.20 billion to approximately USD 3.54 billion.
This report provides a detailed data-centric analysis of the Gift Card industry in United Arab Emirates, covering growth opportunities and potential constraints across multiple retail sectors. With more than 90+ KPIs, this report delivers a comprehensive view of gift card market dynamics, including market size and outlook, spend patterns, digital adoption, and competitive market share insights.
Competition is expected to intensify around ecosystems, with wallets, banks, and large retailers strengthening closed-loop and semi-open-loop offerings. Standalone gift card providers will increasingly depend on partnerships with banks, wallets, and enterprise clients to remain relevant. Barriers to entry will rise due to compliance, integration, and scale requirements.
Current State of the Market
- The UAE gift card market is moderately concentrated, with competition shaped by large retailers, banks, and wallet ecosystems rather than standalone gift card specialists.
- Gift cards are no longer treated as seasonal retail SKUs; they are embedded into e-commerce accounts, loyalty programs, wallets, and corporate reward platforms.
- Competitive intensity is driven by integration depth (apps, wallets, rewards engines) rather than price or promotional mechanics.
Key Players and New Entrants
- Retail and Marketplace Anchors: Platforms such as Amazon.ae and Majid Al Futtaim dominate consumer-facing gift card issuance through account-linked digital balances across large merchant networks.
- Bank-Led Ecosystems: Banks, including Emirates NBD and First Abu Dhabi Bank, distribute gift cards via reward catalogues and lifestyle marketplaces tied to cards and loyalty points.
- Wallet and Super-App Players: Wallets such as Careem Pay and e& money are emerging as important distribution layers for branded and multi-merchant gift cards.
- New entrants are typically fintech or platform-led, focusing on corporate rewards, digital-only issuance, or API-based distribution rather than physical cards.
Shift Gift Cards from Anonymous Vouchers to Account-Linked Digital Stored Value
- Gift cards in the UAE are increasingly issued and redeemed as persistent digital balances linked to user accounts, rather than as single-use codes or physical cards. Platforms such as Amazon.ae allow gift card balances to be stored in customer accounts, supporting partial redemptions and balance carry-forward. Large omnichannel retailers, including Majid Al Futtaim (e.g., Mall of the Emirates brands), have expanded app-based gift card storage rather than relying on emailed codes.
- UAE retail is highly account-centric, with strong penetration of mobile apps, loyalty programs, and logged-in shopping journeys. Retailers are also responding to tighter scrutiny around stored-value instruments, where traceability and balance visibility are operational priorities.
- Account-linked digital gift cards are expected to become the default format for large retailers and marketplaces. Physical cards will persist mainly for in-mall gifting and tourist use cases, but will decline in strategic importance.
Embed Gift Cards into Wallets and Super-App Payment Ecosystems
- Gift cards are increasingly distributed and redeemed inside digital wallets and super-apps, rather than through standalone gift card flows. Wallets such as Careem Pay and e& money support branded and multi-brand gift cards, as well as everyday payment functions.
- The UAE’s rapid adoption of wallet-based payments and instant transfers has normalised the use of stored-value balances. Wallet operators view gift cards as a controlled-value instrument that drives repeat app engagement and cross-service usage.
- Wallet-native gift cards will gain prominence, particularly for digital commerce and peer-to-peer gifting. Standalone gift card platforms will increasingly rely on wallet partnerships for scale.
Reposition Gift Cards as Corporate and Platform-Controlled Spend Tools
- Enterprises in the UAE are using gift cards as controlled-value instruments for employee rewards, sales incentives, and consumer promotions. Banks such as Emirates NBD integrate gift cards into reward marketplaces, while large employers and government-linked entities favour digital gift cards over cash-equivalent payouts.
- Employers seek traceability, spending control, and simplified reconciliation. Gift cards provide a compliant alternative to cash incentives and align with payroll, rewards, and benefits infrastructure.
- Corporate-driven gift card volumes are expected to expand steadily, with increased demand for category-restricted and time-bound digital balances.
Use Gift Cards to Bridge Tourism, Retail, and Experiential Spend
- Gift cards are being positioned as prepaid access to experiences, including malls, dining, entertainment, and fuel. Retail groups such as Dubai Holding and fuel operators like ADNOC offer gift cards tied to ecosystems rather than to a single merchant.
- The UAE’s tourism-driven retail economy benefits from prepaid instruments that simplify spending for visitors while encouraging onshore consumption within defined ecosystems.
- Experience-led and multi-merchant gift cards will gain relevance, particularly in tourism-heavy emirates, reinforcing gift cards as a spend-management layer rather than a seasonal product.
Key Attributes:
| Report Attribute | Details |
| No. of Pages | 320 |
| Forecast Period | 2026 – 2030 |
| Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2026 | $2.43 Billion |
| Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 | $3.54 Billion |
| Compound Annual Growth Rate | 9.9% |
| Regions Covered | United Arab Emirates |
Report Scope
Companies Featured
- Majid Al-Futtaim
- Lulu Hypermarket
- Amazon.ae
- Mall Gift Cards
- Spinneys
- Dubai Duty Free
- Virgin Megastore
- Ikea
- Sharaf DG
- Choithrams
United Arab Emirates Total Gift Spend Overview and Forecast
- Total Gift Spend by Value – Market Size and Forecast
- Total Gift Spend by Volume – Trend Analysis
- Gift Spend Market Share by Consumer Segment
- Gift Spend Analysis by Product Category
- Gift Spend Analysis by Retail Sector
United Arab Emirates Retail Consumer Gift Spend Analysis
- Retail Consumer Gift Spend – Market Size and Forecast
- Retail Consumer Gift Spend by Volume
- Retail Consumer Gift Spend by Product Category
- Retail Consumer Gift Spend by Retail Sector
United Arab Emirates Corporate Consumer Gift Spend Analysis
- Corporate Consumer Gift Spend – Market Size and Forecast
- Corporate Consumer Gift Spend by Volume
- Corporate Consumer Gift Spend by Product Category
- Corporate Consumer Gift Spend by Retail Sector
United Arab Emirates Gift Card Market Size and Structure
- Gift Card Spend – Market Size and Forecast
- Gift Card Spend by Transaction Value and Volume
- Average Value per Gift Card and Unused Value Analysis
- Gift Card Spend Market Share by Consumer Segment
- Gift Card Spend Market Share by Functional Attribute
United Arab Emirates Digital Gift Card Market Analysis
- Digital Gift Card Market Size and Forecast
- Digital Gift Card Penetration by Occasion
- Retail Consumer Digital Gift Card Spend
- Corporate Consumer Digital Gift Card Spend
- Digital Gift Card Spend by Enterprise Size
United Arab Emirates Gift Card Spend by Demographics and Purchase Behaviour
- Gift Card Spend Share by Payment Method
- Gift Card Spend Share by Age, Income, and Gender
- Digital Gift Card Spend Share by Demographics
- Gift Card Consumer Purchase Behaviour
- Corporate Gift Card Spend by Company Type
United Arab Emirates Retail Consumer Gift Card Analysis
- Retail Consumer Gift Card Spend – Market Size and Forecast
- Retail Consumer Gift Card Spend by Occasion
- Retail Consumer Gift Card Spend by Functional Attribute
- Retail Consumer Digital Gift Card Spend
United Arab Emirates Corporate Consumer Gift Card Analysis
- Corporate Consumer Gift Card Spend – Market Size and Forecast
- Corporate Consumer Gift Card Spend by Occasion
- Corporate Consumer Gift Card Spend by Functional Attribute
- Corporate Consumer Digital Gift Card Spend
United Arab Emirates Gift Card Spend by Functional Attribute
- Open Loop vs. Closed Loop Gift Card Spend
- Open Loop Gift Card Spend – Market Size and Forecast
- Closed Loop Gift Card Spend – Market Size and Forecast
- Average Gift Card Value by Functional Attribute
United Arab Emirates Gift Card Spend by Occasion
- Festivals and Special Celebration Days
- Milestone Celebrations
- Self-Use
- Other Occasions
United Arab Emirates Corporate Gift Card Spend by Company Size
- Gift Card Spend by Large Enterprises
- Gift Card Spend by Mid-Tier Enterprises
- Gift Card Spend by Small-Scale Enterprises
United Arab Emirates Gift Card Spend by Distribution Channel
- Online vs. Offline Distribution
- Retail vs. Corporate Closed Loop Distribution
- First-Party vs. Third-Party Online Distribution
United Arab Emirates Gift Card Spend by Retail Sector
- Gift Card Spend by Retail Sector – Market Size and Forecast
- Gift Card Spend Market Share by Retail Sector
- Sales Uplift Impact by Retail Sector
United Arab Emirates Competitive and Format-Level Analysis
- Closed Loop Gift Card Market Share by Key Retailers
- Gift Card Market Share by Redemption Rate
- Single-Brand vs. Multi-Brand Gift Card Preference
- Digital Gift Card Delivery Channel Share by Age Group
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/q3apgj
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