Sinder UAE Beta Reaches 213 Active Customers and AED 127,499 in Card Spend
Sinder’s UAE beta has reached 213 active customers, 780 card transactions and AED 127,499 in spending, as customers progress from onboarding into repeat usage.
Sinder’s UAE beta continues to grow, with more customers progressing from account creation into funding, card activation and repeated international spending.
As of 5 August 2026, 345 people had created Sinder accounts. Of those, 213 had completed onboarding and become active customers.
One hundred and nineteen customers had added money to their accounts, while 61 had completed at least one card transaction.
Those customers have now made 780 transactions with a combined value of AED 127,498.58.
Available customer balances have also reached AED 154,401.02, while 85 physical Sinder cards are now active.
Sinder’s beta numbers at a glance
As of 5 August 2026:
- 345 accounts created
- 213 active customers
- 119 customers topped up
- 61 transacting customers
- 780 card transactions
- AED 127,498.58 in transaction volume
- AED 154,401.02 in available customer balances
- 34 virtual cards issued
- 94 physical cards requested
- 85 physical cards active
The average transaction value was AED 163.46.
Usage has accelerated in eight days
Compared with 28 July:
| Metric | 28 July | 5 August | Eight days later |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts created | 278 | 345 | Accounts created increased by 24% |
| Active customers | 152 | 213 | Active customers increased by 40% |
| Funded customers | 81 | 119 | Funded customers increased by 47% |
| Transacting customers | 27 | 61 | Transacting customers increased by 126% |
| Card transactions | 262 | 780 | Transaction count increased by 198% |
| Transaction volume | AED 33,911.38 | AED 127,498.58 | Transaction volume increased by 276% |
| Available customer balances | AED 97,283.61 | AED 154,401.02 | Available customer balances increased by 59% |
The growth in transaction volume and transacting customers has significantly outpaced the growth in account creation.
This suggests that Sinder’s early customers are not simply opening accounts. A growing proportion are adding money, activating their cards and using Sinder repeatedly.
Nearly 13 transactions per transacting customer
Sinder’s 61 transacting customers have completed an average of approximately 12.8 transactions each.
For the beta, this is a more useful signal than registrations alone.
A single transaction can show that a card works. Repeated transactions begin to indicate that customers are comfortable using the product as part of their normal travel spending.
Sinder cards have now been used across markets including the United States, the UAE, Singapore, Thailand and France, alongside a growing range of other destinations.
“At this stage, the number we care about most is not the number of accounts created. It is whether customers fund their accounts and come back to use the card again,” said Sinder co-founder Chris Hughes.
“Sixty-one customers have now completed 780 transactions. That is still a small beta cohort, but nearly 13 transactions per customer is an encouraging early indication that people are using Sinder as an actual travel card rather than testing it once.”
Where customers are transacting
The 780 transactions recorded as of 5 August included:
| Transaction country | Transactions |
|---|---|
| United States | 100 |
| United Arab Emirates | 74 |
| Singapore | 57 |
| Thailand | 57 |
| France | 52 |
| Other countries | 434 |
| Unknown | 6 |
Those transactions were made in the following currencies:
| Transaction currency | Transactions |
|---|---|
| EUR | 206 |
| USD | 113 |
| AED | 95 |
| THB | 61 |
| SGD | 52 |
| Other currencies | 253 |
| Unknown | 0 |
From account creation to real-world usage
Sinder is building a UAE travel account designed for residents who want to spend abroad directly from AED.
Customers receive an AED account with a local IBAN and a Mastercard Platinum debit card, available in both virtual and physical form.
Within the Founder plan’s AED 40,000 monthly worldwide allowance, Sinder applies 0% Sinder FX markup on eligible foreign-currency transactions, including weekdays and weekends. Above the allowance, the excess is charged at +0.5% on weekdays or +1.5% on weekends.
The Sinder account and card are provided by Ruya Community Islamic Bank LLC. Network International supports the card-processing infrastructure, while Mastercard provides the global card network.
What we are focusing on next
The beta remains early, and the current numbers do not yet establish long-term retention.
The immediate priorities are:
- helping more active customers fund their accounts;
- increasing conversion from funded to transacting customers;
- maintaining reliable card fulfilment;
- reducing onboarding delays;
- improving the experience based on customer feedback;
- understanding whether customers continue using Sinder after their first trip.
The team is also continuing work on additional product capabilities, including support for digital wallets and broader payment functionality.
Building in public
Sinder will continue sharing its beta progress as the customer base develops.
The purpose of publishing these figures is not to present early beta growth as proof of scale. It is to provide a transparent view of whether customers are successfully progressing through the product journey:
Account creation → onboarding → funding → card activation → repeated usage.
The latest numbers indicate that progress is now happening at every stage.
Sinder is available to UAE residents on iOS and Android.