During Eid Al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday marking the end of Ramadan, families traditionally give small gifts of money known as eidiya to children and loved ones. In some households, fractions of bitcoin are now being given alongside cash, introducing relatives to the world of digital assets.
The practice is still niche, but it uses the familiar tradition of eidiya to introduce people to digital assets.
There is no public data measuring crypto gifting during Eid though. But the Middle East has become an increasingly active crypto market, with transaction volumes across the region exceeding $500 billion annually.
Bitcoin can be divided into extremely small units known as satoshis. Because of that, even tiny amounts can be transferred through digital wallets, making it possible to send cryptocurrency as a symbolic gift.
That shift is already taking place in some households. Last year, MJ Zerehpoush, a UAE-based crypto user, gave his relatives a choice between cash and bitcoin. While the majority chose cash, one 16-year-old later opted for the digital currency.
He says he first came across reports of UAE residents giving bitcoin as eidiya during Eid Al-Fitr last year. Curious about the idea, he used the opportunity to show the teenager how to create a wallet, secure it and transfer cryptocurrency.
He purchased bitcoin through OKX, a UAE-regulated centralised exchange (CEX), demonstrated how it works and sent it to the relative’s Trust Wallet, a noncustodial wallet that allow users to store, manage and send crypto assets.
The experiment was enough to make him consider trying it again. He says he plans to ask the family this year whether they would choose bitcoin or cash.
From cash to crypto
Analysts say digital gifting reflects changing attitudes towards money and digital assets, particularly among younger users. The UAE’s crypto-friendly regulatory environment and tax policies have also helped create conditions that encourage experimentation with digital assets.
Global data shows that 34% of crypto owners are between 24 and 35 years old. More than one in four US adults – and nearly half of Gen Z adults – say they would be excited to receive cryptocurrency as a gift.
Amit Arora, head of MENA & Web3 at Terminal 3, says the gesture can act as an introduction to digital assets, allowing recipients to learn about cryptocurrency through experience.
“Imagine someone receiving bitcoin as an Eid gift, watching its value move over the following months and starting to engage with digital assets in a low-stakes way,” he says.
“Money has always been a trust technology, having faith in the system behind it. What’s changing is where younger generations are placing that certainty,” he says.
People can give bitcoin eidiya in several ways, including through crypto gift cards, direct wallet transfers or exchanges such as Bitpanda or Binance. Binance gift cards, for example, support more than 270 cryptocurrencies.
Arora says curiosity around crypto gifting appears strongest among younger, digitally native family members in the region.
The gesture often mirrors traditional eidiya – generosity, celebration and passing something of value to loved ones. However, bitcoin typically requires an onboarding process involving wallets, seed phrases, exchange accounts and an understanding of price fluctuations.
Ignacio Aguirre Franco, chief marketing officer at Bitget, says gifting cryptocurrency can lower barriers to entry because recipients do not necessarily need to make an investment decision. “They’re introduced to the asset through trust and family,” he says.
Traditional gifts such as cash or bank transfers rely on intermediaries and banking systems. Bitcoin, by contrast, can be transferred globally within minutes without banks or currency conversions.
Franco says this also shifts responsibility to the user. “With traditional finance, institutions hold custody. With crypto, the user does, introducing more control and accountability.”
Not without challenges
Despite its appeal, crypto gifting comes with several challenges. Custody remains one of the biggest issues. If a recipient does not understand how wallets or private keys work, the gift can easily become inaccessible.
Volatility is another concern. “A gift worth 50 dirhams today might be worth 350 dirhams next week, creating confusion for someone unfamiliar with how crypto markets move,” Arora says.
Regulatory considerations may also complicate matters, as families may not be aware of reporting or compliance requirements depending on jurisdiction and transaction size. “Across the Gulf, digital asset frameworks are evolving rapidly,” Arora notes.
Franco says many of these challenges could be resolved as infrastructure improves. “As platforms become more intuitive and regulated on-ramps improve, sending a digital gift card becomes more seamless rather than complicated.”
“Every new medium of exchange introduces friction until the infrastructure catches up,” Arora adds. He said many people still associate safety with traditional banking and regulated financial products.
“But the direction of travel is clear,” he says. “Younger generations are building financial habits around a broader set of instruments, and digital assets are becoming one of them. In cash and gold, adoption follows trust, and trust follows usability and identity,” Arora explains. “That layer is still being built in digital assets.”
“The closer we get to seamless onboarding, strong identity verification and intuitive custody, the closer crypto gifts will feel to handing someone an envelope.”
For now, bitcoin eidiya remains a niche experiment. But as digital assets become more familiar, some families are using the tradition as a way to introduce relatives to the mechanics of cryptocurrency.
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