The Power of a Good Gift (Card): Digital Gifting in the UAE

In the UAE, gifting is never an afterthought. From Eid feasts to back-to-school prep and holiday season festivities, giving something special is in the calendar. Gift cards have joined the occasion: rather than last-minute backups, they’re thoughtful presents in their own right. Analysts say UAE’s gift-card market has been booming. The gift-card sector was on pace to hit roughly $2.0 billion in 2024 (up ~10.8% year-on-year) and is forecast to keep growing at ~9% annually. That means nearly every major retailer and even banks are scrambling to make their gift offerings more attractive.

Majid Al Futtaim’s answer is an all-in-one digital gift card linked to the SHARE loyalty program. Think of it as an umbrella card for 5,000+ stores across 18 malls: premium brands (fashion, luxury, electronics), everyday essentials (groceries, department stores) and entertainment venues (cinema, theme parks). It can be purchased through the SHARE app, sent to the recipient, and instantly loaded into their Apple or Google wallet; the recipient simply taps or scans and pays like cash. And then, your giftee picks exactly what they want from any of these places.

Even better, it loops back into loyalty. MAF has made the Mall Gift Card itself earn and burn points. As a giver, you can even spend SHARE points to buy one of these gift cards in the SHARE app. So you’re literally gifting your rewards. And the recipient? Every purchase they make with that card racks up new points for them. In other words, a gift card isn’t a dead end, it reinforces loyalty.

Want a closer look at how SHAREPay works? Dive into this.

This “double reward” aspect is a smart blend of emotional and practical value:

• Givers can gift for ‘free’ by parting with points, and receivers turn the gift into even more points toward future treats
• It even serves as a budgeting tool: a parent can preload a set amount on a gift card for a nanny to use at Carrefour, or roommates can share a mall card with fixed value to manage household expenses.
• It encourages exploration. Points earned on one brand now flow through MAF’s network instead of going to Amazon or a closed ecosystem

None of this is happening in isolation. Globally and regionally, digital gift cards are on the rise. UAE consumers like gift cards (especially digital ones) and do not consider them impersonal. You give me a digital gift card and I will love it too because it combines thoughtfulness with convenience. In MAF’s world, gift cards plug directly into the payment and loyalty system: they’re as easy to send as a text message but as rewarding as in-person presents. For customers, that means rewards are literally as close as the gift someone gave them.

In essence, MAF’s digital gift card turns giving into a loop, not a one-way street. And in doing so, it makes the entire mall ecosystem stickier… more points are earned, more visits are made, and more relationships deepen. This reflects a broader retail-FinTech trend: today’s loyalty programs are becoming currency for all sorts of experiences, with gifting as just one clever use case.