ABU DHABI: The Central Bank of the UAE has officially banned all financial institutions from using WhatsApp for customer services as of May 1.
The directive protects customer data from banks, exchange houses, and insurance companies while it limits potential fraud incidents.
The central bank specified that WhatsApp now serves as an unauthorized platform for transaction verification, personal data transmission, and OTP delivery.
The authorities required these institutions to move all services to their protected mobile applications or their designated call centers. The legal experts are detailing the severe penalties that result from breaking the national cybercrime regulations through private or group communication.
The law states that sharing unconsented images or forwarding unverified content leads to fines between 250000 dirhams and 500000 dirhams or imprisonment. Article 52 of the Cybercrime Law defines message transmission as message republishing, which holds users accountable for all transmitted content.
WhatsApp group administrators must deal with all unlawful material present in their groups without delay to prevent facing legal consequences.
The enforcement of these measures establishes enhanced digital security standards that all UAE residents must follow. Users need to proceed with extreme caution when they share or handle their information on the platform.
