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Guides for money in the Gulf

Plain-language guides for people banking in the Gulf and the United States: getting a statement into Excel, whether to use ChatGPT for it and what is safe, how to open a password-protected statement, how Zakat on savings is worked out, and how to check the exchange-rate markup on money you send home. Each shows its formula, links its sources, says where scholars or banks disagree, and carries its date.

Who writes these, and how

The guides are written by Amman Abbasi, who builds MyFulus. They are not independent research and MyFulus is a commercial product, so they link to it where it helps. They are written to be useful without it.

Every figure is either calculated from a formula shown on the page or linked to where it came from, and anything that is a snapshot (a gold price, a rate) is labelled with its date. Where scholars, banks or regulators disagree, the guide says so instead of choosing for you. None of this is financial, tax, legal or religious advice.

The guides

Formulas, worked examples and step-by-step instructions.

Bank statements5 min read · Any bank

How to Convert a Bank Statement PDF to Excel

Three ways to get a statement PDF into a spreadsheet — the bank's own export, Excel's PDF import, a converter — and the three checks that prove nothing was missed.

The short version: Opening balance + credits − debits must equal the closing balance exactly; if the statement prints a running balance, the first line where it stops agreeing is where something is missing.

Who it is for: Anyone who needs a bank statement in Excel, CSV or accounting software: bookkeepers, small businesses, people applying for loans or visas.

Read the guide
Bank statements5 min read · Any bank

Can ChatGPT Convert a Bank Statement to Excel?

What happened when we gave ChatGPT a fictional statement and a password-locked one, what OpenAI says it does with the file, and when a converter fits better.

The short version: Yes, unless the PDF is locked: ChatGPT read an unlocked statement correctly in our test, and refused a PDF that needs a password at upload.

Who it is for: Anyone wondering whether they need a converter at all.

Read the guide
Bank statements4 min read · Any bank

Is It Safe to Upload a Bank Statement Online?

What a statement gives away, the five questions to ask of any converter or AI assistant, and the safest options if nothing may leave your device.

The short version: Ask whether the file leaves your device, how long it is kept, who else reads it, and who is accountable. A converter never needs your bank login.

Who it is for: Anyone about to give a statement to a website, and anyone asked to by a client.

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Zakat6 min read · Qatar · UAE · Saudi Arabia

Zakat on Bank Savings in Qatar & UAE (2026)

How Zakat on cash and bank savings is worked out: Hawl, the gold and silver Nisab, the lunar and solar rates, and a dated worked example.

The short version: 2.5% of net liquid savings held for a full lunar year, once they reach the Nisab: 85 g of gold or 595 g of silver at today's price. Scholars differ on the standard and on debts.

Who it is for: Anyone with savings in a GCC bank who wants to understand the arithmetic before asking a scholar.

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Bank statements5 min read · Qatar · UAE · Saudi Arabia · GCC

How to Open Password-Protected GCC Bank Statements

Where the password for a locked statement comes from, what banks commonly use, what to do when it fails — and how to download an unlocked copy instead.

The short version: The authoritative answer is in your bank's statement email; if the password fails, download a fresh copy from your bank's app, which is often not locked.

Who it is for: Account holders whose emailed statement PDF asks for a password they do not have.

Read the guide
Sending money home5 min read · Any corridor

Hidden FX Fees on Gulf Bank Transfers: How to Check Yours

How to measure the exchange-rate markup on a transfer from your own statement, and where the World Bank publishes what providers charge.

The short version: A transfer with no fee can still cost you through the exchange rate. Markup % = (mid-market rate − your rate) ÷ mid-market rate × 100.

Who it is for: Expats sending money home who want to know what a "no fee" transfer costs.

Read the guide

Where to start

Pick the line that sounds like you:

If you send money home

For people making regular transfers to family abroad.

1. Check the FX markup on a transfer2. Open a locked statement to find it3. Upload a statement

If you calculate Zakat

For Muslims working out the Zakat on savings held in bank accounts.

1. Read how the arithmetic works2. Run the numbers in the calculator3. See what a statement analysis shows

If you want to trim subscriptions

For households looking for charges that repeat without anyone noticing.

1. Learn how repeating charges are found2. Write a cancellation letter3. Upload 2–3 months of statements

Terms used in the guides

Nisab
The minimum amount of net wealth a Muslim must hold for a full year before Zakat is due. The classical measures are 85 grams of gold or 595 grams of silver; scholars and national authorities differ on which to use for cash.
Hawl
One full Islamic lunar (Hijri) year, about 354 days. Zakat is due on wealth that has stayed above the Nisab for the whole of it.
Mid-market exchange rate
The midpoint between the wholesale buy and sell prices of a currency. A provider that converts at a worse rate and advertises no fee is charging you through the gap.
Locked statement
A bank statement PDF protected with a password, usually sent by email. MyFulus uses the password once, on the server, to open the file and read its text, and does not keep it.

Put these to work on your own statements

Convert a bank statement PDF or CSV into Excel, CSV or an accounting-software import, checked line by line against the statement’s own balances. Free, with no sign-up for your first statements of the day.

Convert a statementUse Zakat Calculator