Dubai, 25 July 2017: The door to good fortune opened for 26 lucky participants as UAE Exchange, the leading global remittance, foreign exchange and payment solutions brand, announced the winners of its recently concluded Summer Promotion 2017 ‘Win a Home in Dubai’.

The announcement was made last evening at a celebratory event, held at W Hotel, Dubai, amongst an august gathering of dignitaries and customers.

The grand prize winner, Mr. Ubaidulla Neralakatte, could not believe his luck when he got to know that he won the top prize of a brand new house in Dubai, worth AED 500,000. “I’ve never won anything in my life. So, to be picked as a winner for the first time, and that too for the mega prize of a house in Dubai, is more than a dream come true for me,” said a surprised and ecstatic Neralakatte, who is from Mangalore in India.

Promoth Manghat, CEO of UAE Exchange Group, hands over the Mega Prize of 'Win a Home in Dubai' to Ubaidulla Neralakatte. (From left to right) Abdel Kareem Alkayed, Country Head UAE; Rahul Pai, Chief Operating Officer; Pradeep Kumar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Chief Financial Officer; Ubaidulla Neralakatte, mega prize winner; Promoth Manghat, Chief Executive Officer, UAE Exchange Group; Kaushal Doshi, Regional Marketing Manager; and Sam Cherian, Head of Retail Sales and Services, UAE.

The excitement and happiness at the event was palpable as the names of 25 winners, who each won AED 10,000, were announced. The winners included people from Egypt, Kenya, Philippines and the Indian subcontinent of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“I didn’t think much of it when I got the call from UAE Exchange. In fact, I had to be convinced that I won the cash prize and then it took some time to sink in that I actually won AED 10,000. Now, I feel on top of the world,” said Sheila Pascasio, from the Philippines, who is a customer of UAE Exchange for the last 12 years.

Congratulating all the winners, Abdel Kareem Alkayed, Country Head, UAE Exchange UAE, said, “Every year we conduct an anchor promotional campaign, through which we create multiple opportunities to thank and reward our valued customers. The Summer Promotion this year continues the tradition and we are delighted that we are able to make a difference in improving people's lives through such programmes. We want to benefit and empower as many people as possible for their as well as their families’ well-being.”

“We also saw an increase in the number of participants this year as, based on customer feedback, we provided more chances to be eligible for the draw. This way all customers who transacted at any of the UAE Exchange branches in the UAE for remittances and even foreign currency exchange and bill payment services were automatically eligible for the summer promotion,” added Kareem Alkayed.

“Having a house of our own is a dream for many of us. Now, to own a house in Dubai is an aspiration beyond common dreams, especially for the expatriate community. This was the thought that prompted us to present a house in Dubai as the grand prize for our Summer Promotion,” said Kaushal Doshi, Regional Marketing Manager.

UAE Exchange Summer Promotion 2017 ‘Win a Home in Dubai’, which ran for 45 days from 24th May to 7th July 2017, builds on the brand’s track record of improving fortunes and giving back to its customers. In 2016, cash prizes totalling USD 222,222 were distributed, while the year before the brand launched a Money Majlis where customers won 6 kilograms of gold.

And the winners are