UAE Central Bank’s Gold Reserves Surge to Nearly AED 38 Billion by End of 2025

Abu Dhabi | EcoPulse24

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates recorded a strong increase in its gold reserves in 2025, approaching AED 38 billion by the end of December. This reflects ongoing efforts to enhance reserve assets and diversify the reserve portfolio.

According to the Central Bank’s monthly statistical bulletin, the value of gold reserves rose by 64.93% year-on-year, reaching AED 37.902 billion at the end of December 2025, up from AED 22.981 billion at the end of December 2024. This represents an annual increase of AED 14.921 billion.

On a monthly basis, gold reserves continued to post gains, rising by 1.64% in December 2025 compared to AED 37.291 billion in November, indicating a sustained pace of gold accumulation within the reserves.

The data also revealed significant growth in bank deposits. Demand deposits exceeded AED 1.264 trillion by December 2025, compared to AED 1.109 trillion during the same period in 2024. These deposits were split between approximately AED 940 billion in local currency and AED 324 billion in foreign currencies.

Savings deposits increased to AED 400.51 billion by December 2025, up from AED 317.488 billion at the end of December 2024. Of this, AED 341.311 billion was in local currency, while AED 59.2 billion was in foreign currencies.

Time deposits surpassed AED 1.165 trillion by December 2025, compared to AED 945.78 billion at the end of December 2024. These were distributed as AED 751.448 billion in local currency and AED 414.161 billion in foreign currencies.

EcoPulse24 Analysis:
The sharp rise in the Central Bank’s gold reserves reflects a strategic focus on bolstering safe-haven assets amid global financial and monetary volatility. The parallel growth across all deposit categories signals strong liquidity in the UAE banking sector and continued trust from individuals and institutions, providing a solid foundation for monetary stability and resilience against external shocks in the upcoming period.