Manila, July 3 -- Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the United Arab Emirates will continue to enjoy free remittance fees when sending money to the Philippines, even as the Emirates National Bank of Dubai (NBD) announced that it will soon charge fees for most international money transfers.

In a news release on Wednesday evening, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said Emirates NBD announced to clients that it will impose a fixed rate fee of 26.25 UAE dirhams, inclusive of VAT, on most cross border transactions made through its DirectRemit service, effective Sept. 1, 2025.

However, the Philippines is among six countries exempted from this new charge, together with India, Pakistan, Egypt, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom.

"We d...