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Business Markets

Dubai fintech Ziina tests 'payments keyboard' for businesses to get paid over messaging apps

Businesses can get payments using WhatsApp or Instagram through a 'keyboard'

The Ziina ZiiBoard is currently in beta mode and the Dubai startup's promoters have applied for a patent.
Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: A ‘payments keyboard’ to ease the flow of funds in the digital space – that’s what Dubai-based fintech Ziina is filing a patent for. The keyboard, currently in beta-mode, can be used by businesses to generate payment links and collect payments, in three taps, and from within a messaging app – WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger – of their choice.

“The ZiiBoard (was) created especially for businesses,” said Faisal Toukan, CEO and co-founder of the app. “Since inception in 2020, we have made it our focus to design and build the most seamless way for individuals to send and receive money.”

“Ziina is proving its commitment to making the payment process infinitely faster and more convenient; prioritising a delightful user experience; making payments between Ziina businesses and their customers faster, friendlier, and more fun.” - Faisal Toukan, CEO and Co-Founder of Ziina
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The ZiiBoard allows SMEs and freelancers to request payments from clients directly within any messaging app. The ZiiBoard allows businesses to get paid via Apple Pay, Google Pay, or any international card. The recent Mastercard’s New Payments Index 2022 found 88 per cent of consumers in the UAE prefer ‘convenience over cash’, using at least one emerging payment method in the last year.

Customers receive their invoices and are able to pay them seamlessly and instantly. “Transactions that take 10-20 minutes of back and forth are now reduced to 10 seconds,” said a statement.

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Businesses will need to do is download the Ziina app and activate the ZiiBoard for it to appear alongside the Emoji keyboard or other language keyboards. Businesses on Ziina will be able to make payments a seamless part of any chat flow with their customers or friends.

Anton Badashov of Ziina said, "Currently, individual apps, such as WhatsApp, restrict payment services to their platforms."
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The Ziina way
Ziina is focussed on the sending and receiving of payments with just a phone number — there is no IBAN or Swift code required. Available in beta to UAE residents on iOS and Android, the app offers a 'seamless way for friends and family to split the cost of takeout or a grocery bill'.

The ZiiBoard will be an extension of Ziina’s suite of business tools designed to turn the app into a 'one-stop service for requesting and collecting payments across messaging apps," said Anton Badashov, Head of Design at Ziina.

"By employing a native OS keyboard to create seamless integration across all channels where businesses interact with customers, the ZiiBoard allows businesses to request payments during interactions with customers on the spot, no matter what messaging app they are on."
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