Last year, we wrote about Aurem as one of three early-stage startups vying for a place in the UAE’s workplace savings market. Today, Aurem has become the first digital platform for End-of-Service Benefits (EOSB) savings to have successfully integrated with MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation).

Who is Aurem, and why is this integration a big deal?

Aurem may not (yet) be a well-known brand, however, it is important to know that it is the technology provider “behind the scenes” of a major EOSB fund manager – First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB). Other fund managers might soon be using Aurem’s tech too, more about this later.

Aurem’s integration with MOHRE is no small feat. This kind of integration is technically complex and highly sensitive. It touches government systems, employer data, employee data, and national policy. That MOHRE has opened this door for a public-private collaboration is a clear sign of something much bigger: the UAE is preparing the ground for a mandatory rollout of the EOSB Savings Scheme.

Speaking to Michael Watkins, CEO of Aurem, “This integration with MOHRE is a great technical milestone but it’s also a strong signal that the EOSB Savings Scheme is heading toward a mandatory future. We at Aurem, are proud to have reached the finish line first, and we are continuing to optimize for scale and ease of adoption for employers across the UAE.”

What does this integration mean for companies?

In practice, it means that if a company chooses a fund manager who is powered by Aurem, then EOSB contributions are going to be a) easier to manage, b) harder to get wrong, and c) aligned with official employment records.

Instead of manually uploading spreadsheets, your company workforce data (names, salaries, job titles, contracts, employment dates, etc.) is synced directly from MOHRE. This speeds up company onboarding to the scheme, eliminates manual uploads, reduces administrative errors, and allows for instant checks with labour records.

The calculation of monthly EOSB contributions is also automated and factors in events such as resignations, promotions, salary changes, etc. As such, the risk of underfunding, misreporting, or non-compliance is significantly reduced and companies have a clear audit trail aligned with official labour records – great for when the scheme becomes mandatory.

Moreover, because EOSB benefits are tied to verified MOHRE records, employees will have more confidence in the accuracy of their EOSB balances.

Ideal for UAE mainland companies

If your company is based in the UAE mainland and does not use complex HR systems, this integration with MOHRE is very convenient. You can manage EOSB savings through Aurem without needing to integrate your own HR software.

But for companies operating across multiple jurisdictions (e.g., freezones, DIFC, ADGM, offshore), or those using enterprise-grade HR systems like SAP, Oracle, or Workday, or those with more complex pay structures, data will need to be shared via integration with their existing ERP systems for:

• Employees not covered by MOHRE (e.g. freezones)
• Non-standard pay structures (e.g., bonuses, commissions that are not typically part of basic salary under MOHRE), unless the contribution logic can be manually adjusted in Aurem
• Policy exceptions (e.g., where companies offer EOSB based on total salary rather than just basic salary), unless manual overrides are possible in Aurem
• Global HR or finance reporting requirements

What about employer top-ups and AVCs?

Again, MOHRE data supports only the calculation of statutory EOSB contributions. Aurem simply pulls employee salary and start date from MOHRE, calculates the base EOSB (e.g., 5.83% or 8.33% depending on tenure) and reduces manual entry or duplication of data.

But records of discretionary employer top-ups or individual employee Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) may not be held by MOHRE.

So, these must be configured within Aurem as a company policy layer – either entered manually, uploaded via a payroll file, or synced from an internal HR/payroll system (if integrated).

But you still need to validate data

While Aurem’s integration with MOHRE is a major convenience for many UAE mainland employers, you still need to validate your data.

If your MOHRE records are out-of-date or incorrect, the EOSB calculations could be too. Companies therefore still have to reconcile data with internal records and report inaccuracies to MOHRE. This could cause delays. Remember: It’s the responsibility of each and every employer to ensure that data is correct, otherwise companies risk receiving fines by MOHRE.

It may also be that some companies, particularly multinationals, still need to run legal, compliance, or IT reviews before enabling automatic employee data sharing, even with MOHRE-vetted platforms, due to internal governance and data privacy protocols.

Why tech platforms matter for EOSB?

We have highlighted this before, and it’s worth repeating: the technology provider behind your fund manager matters – a lot. EOSB platforms must serve both HR administrators and employees and the entire user experience hinges on the tech stack your fund manager relies on.

How easily the platform integrates with yours, the flexibility to handle exceptions, self-help tools, speed, uptime, customer support responsiveness, should all weigh into your decision when selecting a fund manager because once a company has selected a fund manager, switching is not easy. It requires MOHRE approval plus consider the effort to re-integrate, migrate data, and manage internal communications.

As of today, there are four fund managers in the market. As mentioned at the start, FAB is working with Aurem and Lunate (Ghaf Benefits) has announced its partnership with SS&C Technologies, a global software house. However, Daman Investments and National Bonds have not officially announced their tech providers yet. We will update you once more information becomes public.

It is possible that other EOSB tech platforms are also racing to complete their MOHRE integrations but Aurem getting there first makes it a standout homegrown success story in the UAE’s EOSB transformation.

Aurem: Latest news

Aurem was set up at ADGM in 2022 by a team of ex-Smart Pension professionals, just as discussions on workplace savings schemes were becoming more popular in the UAE.

It was initially backed by Further Ventures and MEASA Partners.

Besides it’s credible achievements in the UAE, Michael Watkins says Aurem is now talking to clients in several developing and developed international markets, aiming to become the go-to workplace savings platform globally.

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