Exchange Rates as at 31 December 2025: Central Bank of the UAE Closing Rates for Year-End, IAS 21 and Audit

Most UAE companies close their books on 31 December, and every foreign-currency receivable, payable, loan and bank balance has to be restated at the closing rate. Auditors ask where the rate came from. This page gives the official Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) table for Wednesday 31 December 2025, the prior-year comparatives, the 2025 averages, and the 2026 quarter-ends for interim closes.

Closing rates on 31 December 2025

All rates are dirhams per one unit of foreign currency, from the official CBUAE table dated 31 December 2025. The bank published on that day, so no fallback to an earlier date is needed.

The dollar line is the peg: 3.6725 in both years. The euro and sterling lines are where the 2025 revaluation entries came from. A EUR 1,000,000 receivable carried at AED 3,815,584 at the end of 2024 was worth AED 4,310,952 a year later, an unrealised gain of AED 495,368. A rupee payable moved the other way.

More currencies on the same date

The full table for the date has 74 currencies. The other Gulf currencies that are also pegged to the dollar (SAR, BHD, OMR, QAR) move only in the fourth decimal from one year to the next.

2025 average rates

IAS 21 allows income and expenses to be translated at an average rate for the period where it approximates the transaction-date rates. Simple arithmetic means of the 261 official daily tables of 2025:

With the euro ranging 16% across the year, a single annual average is a rough tool for a business whose euro revenue is seasonal. Monthly averages are the safer default. For corporate tax the order of methods is fixed by FTA Decision No. 13 of 2023; see currency conversion for UAE corporate tax.

Quarter-end rates in 2026

Which rate does a UAE company have to use for closing?

For financial statements, IAS 21 asks for the closing rate, meaning the spot rate at the end of the reporting period, and does not name a publisher. Entities pick a source and apply it consistently. The CBUAE table is the natural choice in the UAE for three reasons: the VAT law names the Central Bank rate for invoices, the corporate tax law names it for the return, and auditors can verify it independently. Using one source for books, VAT and corporate tax removes three reconciliations.

Know what the table is. The CBUAE states that its rates are mid rates based on FX rates prevailing at 6pm UAE time, updated Monday to Friday. If your policy calls for a bid or offer rate, or for a rate at a different cut-off, the table is not that.

When the year-end falls on a weekend

31 December 2025 was a Wednesday. 31 December 2026 is a Thursday. The problem arises at month-ends and at other year-end dates: 31 January 2026 and 28 February 2026 were both Saturdays, so the closing table is the Friday before. Record the table date you used, not just the reporting date.

Pulling the closing table into the close process

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://allratestoday.com/api/v1/central-bank/cbuae/2025-12-31?format=xlsx" -o cbuae-2025-12-31.xlsx

# JSON, with the fallback made explicit
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://allratestoday.com/api/v1/central-bank/cbuae/2026-02-28"
# "requested_date": "2026-02-28", "rate_date": "2026-02-27",
# "published_on_requested_date": false

The Excel file is a ready audit attachment: one row per currency with the bank, the table date and the value. Dated tables and history are on paid plans. The whole daily series from 2019 is also available as CSV; see CBUAE exchange rate history.

FAQ

What was the USD to AED rate on 31 December 2025?

3.6725 dirhams per US dollar on the official Central Bank of the UAE table, the same as on 31 December 2024 and every other day, because the dirham is pegged to the dollar.

What was the EUR to AED rate on 31 December 2025?

4.310952 dirhams per euro on the official Central Bank of the UAE table dated 31 December 2025, against 3.815584 on 31 December 2024.

What was the GBP to AED rate on 31 December 2025?

4.938811 dirhams per pound sterling on the official Central Bank of the UAE table dated 31 December 2025, against 4.601092 a year earlier.

Did the Central Bank of the UAE publish rates on 31 December 2025?

Yes. 31 December 2025 was a Wednesday and the official table carries that date. The bank publishes Monday to Friday, so a period end on a Saturday or Sunday uses the Friday table.

Does IAS 21 require the Central Bank of the UAE rate?

No. IAS 21 requires the closing rate, the spot rate at the end of the reporting period, without naming a source. UAE entities commonly use the Central Bank table because the VAT and corporate tax laws name the Central Bank rate and auditors can verify it.