Remit or hold? Indian rupee, Pakistani rupee, Philippine peso stay weak in UAE

Quick look at current exchange rates - as of December 24 - against the UAE dirham

Last updated: December 24, 2025 | 07:49

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

1 MIN READ

Planning on remitting Indian rupee, Pakistan rupee or Philippine peso? Here’s how you can take advantage of remittance-beneficial rates and when.

Reuters

Dubai: Soft Asian currencies continue to give UAE expatriates more value for every dirham they send home, with the Indian rupee, Philippine peso and Pakistani rupee all trading near some of their weakest levels in recent years.

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The Indian rupee recently touched a new low of ₹24.71 against the dirham, opening up one of the strongest transfer windows for Indian expats. Exchange houses say many families are splitting their transfers, sending part now and holding the rest in case rates move further.

Peso slips amid political and economic strain

The Philippine peso has been trading between 15.87 and 16.07 against the dirham as political pressure, slower growth and a widening corruption probe unsettle market confidence. Traders describe this period as one of the currency’s most turbulent phases since 2022.

For now, favourable rates are prompting households to reassess strategy, deciding whether to lock in current levels or wait for another shift in the market. (Check live forex rates here)

Current exchange rates as of December 24:

Indian rupee: 24.33, unchanged from yesterday's level
Pakistani rupee: 76.67, unchanged from yesterday's level
Philippine peso: 15.96, unchanged from yesterday's level

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series. Her reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF’s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region’s economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question. When she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5.