Central Bank of the UAE

Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) - Customer Protection Regulation

This regulation replaces the 2021 SME Market Conduct Regulation and introduces a Key Facts Statement requirement, bilingual plain-language disclosure, a 3-business-day account-opening timeline for low-risk SMEs, affordability assessments, enhanced complaint handling with access to the Sanadak ombudsman, and Board-level accountability for SME customer protection. Banks and finance companies have roughly a six-month runway from publication to the 13 September 2026 effective date.

What firms should do

Yes — implement Key Facts Statements, SME account-opening SLAs, affordability checks and complaint-handling processes before 13 September 2026

Regulator: Central Bank of the UAE
Type: New Regulation/Standard
Status: Final/In Force
Published: 17 Feb 2026
Takes effect: 13 Sept 2026
Reference: Circular No. 2/2026
Topic: Consumer Protection
Impact: High

Read it on the regulator's website

Found automatically on the regulator's website and summarised by AI by Arakan Lexara. Not legal advice; check the official source before relying on it.

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Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) - Customer Protection Regulation

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