UAE now lets users buy gold, silver at ATM

Emirates Gold and Malaysia-based Public Gold have launched a fintech-enabled gold ATM in the United Arab Emirates.

The first unit was unveiled at the Dubai Precious Metals Conference 2025.

The machine at Almas Tower lets users buy gold and silver bars using e-wallets or credit cards, and withdraw physical bullion from digital accounts.

The companies plan to deploy 35 to 40 ATMs across the country in 2026.

Future features may include online order collection and cryptocurrency conversion.

The initiative supports the UAE’s broader push to enhance its digital-to-physical gold infrastructure.

🔗 Source: Emirates Gold

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Emirates Gold and Public Gold must clear UAE anti-money laundering rules before rolling out 35–40 ATMs as dealers classed as Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) under Cabinet Decision No. 10 of 2019 1.
Any transaction at or above AED 55,000 triggers a report to the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit, and dealers must apply customer due diligence plus suspicious transaction monitoring 1 2. ATM payments via e-wallets and cards add complexity since processors must follow card network rules for precious metals or jewellery Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) (four-digit merchant classification codes, e.g. MCC 5094 or 5944) 3 4.
The Ministry of Economy oversees Dealers in Precious Metals and Stones (DPMS) compliance and can suspend or withdraw a DNFBP’s registration, with penalties up to AED 5 million 2 5. Before rollout, the DNFBP must register on goAML (UAE case-management and suspicious transaction reporting system) and keep records plus filings 6 5.

For payment service providers (PSPs), growth in card and e-wallet buying of physical gold opens a path to build risk plus compliance tools for precious metals merchants under AML scrutiny 1 3.
Firms that master real-time monitoring for precious metals can blend card rules with the AED 55,000 threshold to stand out, while tools that automate screening against politically exposed persons lists and sanctions databases handle high-value transactions 1 3 5.
A cryptocurrency conversion option would add a compliance layer, which drives demand for integrated Know Your Customer (KYC) plus Anti-Money Laundering (AML) tools that cover digital assets as well as physical commodities 5.