UAE dirham symbol added to Unicode 18.0 standard

The Unicode Consortium has added the United Arab Emirates (UAE) dirham symbol to the Unicode 18.0 standard, assigning it the unique code U+20C3. This standardization allows technology companies to display the currency symbol consistently across mobile phones, computers, apps, and websites.

The dirham symbol, which was officially unveiled by the Central Bank of the UAE in March 2025, is designed using the letter ‘D’ with two horizontal lines inspired by the UAE flag. The addition of this code resolves previous limitations where the lack of a standardized digital character hindered large-scale use in financial text, invoices, and digital platforms.

In the same update, Unicode also included the symbols for the Omani rial and the Maldivian rufiyaa. While the standard is now set, the appearance of the dirham symbol on specific devices depends on individual manufacturers, operating system developers, and font providers implementing the update through their own software releases.