UAE's dirham symbol has officially been included in Unicode's version 18.0, making it easier for computer and smartphone makers to include it on keyboards. Unicode, based in California, is the technology industry’s leading organisation for standardising emojis and digital characters across billions of digital devices.Last week, the organisation described the UAE dirham symbol as "among the most anticipated new characters" in version 18.0, along with the Omani riyal and the Maldivian rufiyaa.Before users go looking for the UAE dirham symbol, however, they should note that it is up to tech companies to adopt the latest Unicode update. But the fact that the dirham made it past Unicode's beta version and into the final iteration means it will soon be a lot easier to select that symbol on devices. "Each of these symbols was authorised for public use by the respective monetary authority over a year ago, but usage has been hindered by lack of a standardised encoding," a Unicode blog entry reads."With the release of Unicode 18.0, vendors are now able to implement support for these symbols."The organisation's core specification document, with more than 1,100 pages, provides more insight on the UAE dirham's journey to being standardised for keyboards. "UAE Dirham sign was unveiled by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates on March 27, 2025, as the official currency symbol for the U...
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