EIBOR rates today
EIBOR is the benchmark almost every UAE variable-rate mortgage is priced against. These are the current published rates, refreshed daily — last updated 23 Jul 2026.
| Benchmark | Rate |
|---|---|
| UAE Base Rate | 3.65% |
| 1M EIBOR | 3.78% |
| 3M EIBOR | 3.80% |
| 6M EIBOR | 3.89% |
| 12M EIBOR | 4.15% |
Indicative, published for reference. Your own rate depends on the lender, your profile and the product.
What EIBOR actually is
The Emirates Interbank Offered Rate is what UAE banks charge each other to borrow. It is published across several tenors — overnight, one month, three months, six months and twelve months — and it is the floor under almost all variable-rate lending in the country.
Your mortgage does not track EIBOR alone. It tracks EIBOR plus a margin set by your bank and fixed for the life of the loan. The margin is the part you negotiate; EIBOR is the part nobody controls.
What that means for your payment
With 3-month EIBOR at 3.80%, and margins across the market running from roughly 1.00% to 2.25%, a variable-rate mortgage today prices somewhere between 4.80% and 6.05%. That spread — over a percentage point — is why the margin you agree matters more than the headline rate you are quoted.
Run your own figures through the payment calculator, and remember that lenders assess affordability at a stress rate above the pay rate, not at the rate you would actually pay.
Why EIBOR follows the US, not the UAE
The dirham has been pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725 since 1997. Holding a peg means broadly importing the anchor currency's monetary policy, so UAE rates track the US cycle closely. If you are trying to guess where your payment goes next, the Federal Reserve is a better guide than anything local.
It also means a dollar-earning borrower carries no currency risk on a dirham mortgage — see mortgages for American buyers — while someone earning in a floating currency does.
Fixed or variable, given where EIBOR sits
There is no universally right answer, and anyone who gives you one is selling something. A fix buys certainty for its term; a variable rate follows the benchmark both ways. What matters most is the reversion margin that applies after a fix ends, because that is what you live with for most of a 25-year term.
We set the trade-off out in full in fixed vs variable rate mortgages, and current lender pricing in current UAE mortgage rates.
EIBOR FAQs
What is EIBOR?
The Emirates Interbank Offered Rate — the benchmark rate at which UAE banks lend to one another. Variable-rate mortgages are priced as EIBOR plus a fixed margin, so when EIBOR moves your payment moves with it.
Which EIBOR tenor does my mortgage use?
Most UAE variable-rate mortgages track 3-month EIBOR, reset quarterly. Check your offer letter — the tenor and the reset frequency are both stated there, and they matter as much as the margin.
Why does EIBOR follow US interest rates?
The dirham has been pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725 since 1997. To hold that peg the UAE Central Bank must broadly track US monetary policy, so EIBOR moves closely with the US rate cycle rather than with local conditions alone.
Does a fixed-rate mortgage protect me from EIBOR?
For the fixed period only. When it ends the loan reverts to EIBOR plus your margin — which is why the reversion margin matters more over a 25-year term than the introductory rate.
How often is this page updated?
Daily. These figures are crawled automatically and last refreshed on 23 Jul 2026.