Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank is one of the UAE's largest Sharia-compliant banks, and its standout remittance feature is a strong Pakistan corridor: instant transfers in Pakistani rupees to 30+ banks in Pakistan, sent straight from the ADIB app. For other destinations it's an ordinary international (SWIFT) transfer. Here's how an ADIB international transfer works, and where a dedicated exchange house or app still competes.
The Pakistan corridor: instant PKR transfers
ADIB's headline remittance service sends Pakistani rupees instantly to 30+ banks in Pakistan, straight to the recipient's account, with a per-transaction ceiling around PKR 1.5 million. You can also send in other global currencies to any Pakistani bank, though those go by the ordinary route rather than the instant one.
ADIB periodically runs fee-waiver promotions on the Pakistan corridor, so the transfer fee you see can be zero at times — but that's a promotion, not a permanent rate, and the exchange-rate margin still applies underneath. Always check the current fee and rate in the app for your specific transfer.
How to send from ADIB
- In the ADIB mobile app, open the transfers / send-money section and choose an international transfer.
- For Pakistan, pick the instant PKR option and the recipient's bank; for other destinations, add the beneficiary's account number or IBAN and the receiving bank's SWIFT/BIC.
- Review the rate and any fee shown, confirm, and keep the reference until the recipient confirms it arrived.
Receiving into an ADIB account from abroad? The sender needs ADIB's SWIFT code, ABDIAEAD — our page shows where it goes.
Fees, timing and the exchange rate
Instant PKR transfers to Pakistan land in the recipient's account near-instantly; a standard SWIFT transfer to other destinations typically takes one to three working days, subject to the UAE's Saturday–Sunday weekend. Fees vary by corridor and amount — and promotions come and go — so check the app.
As always, the fee is only half the story. The exchange-rate margin is the part that's easy to overlook, even on a fee-waived transfer:
Judge any ADIB transfer on the amount that actually lands, fee and rate combined.
ADIB vs an exchange house or app
ADIB's instant Pakistan corridor is a real convenience if you already bank there and send to Pakistan regularly — especially during a fee-waiver window. For the sharpest rate on that same route, though, licensed exchange houses like Al Ansari and LuLu, and apps like Wise, are worth comparing every time.
Compare the amount received in our live tool, or on the AED to PKR route page. Sending to Pakistan specifically? Our Pakistan transfer guide covers the fuller picture. For everything, see the complete guide to international transfers from the UAE.
Transferring with a different bank?
See how other UAE banks run theirs: Mashreq, CBD, RAKBank, or ADCB.