Government to launch more smart payment solutions

Dubai: The Ministry of Finance of the UAE will introduce more smart payment services during the Cards and Payments Middle East exhibition and conference to be held on May 12 and 13 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) said Saeed Al Yateem, Assistant Under Secretary of Budget and Revenue at the Ministry of Finance.

The total automated collection of revenues by the Federal Government through the e-Dirham system during the first quarter of the current year was about Dh2 billion from more than 9 million services.

“The remarkable increase in the number of transactions that took place through the e-Dirham is a result of the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Finance to promote the payment system,” said Al Yateem.

The Ministry of Finance launched the e-Dirham in 2001 to constantly upgrade the payment system’s features and capabilities with the aim of meeting the expectations of citizens and residents who deal with government departments

The launch of the second generation (G2) of the e-Dirham system in coordination with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi in 2011 brought more than 70 million e-services of the Federal Government under the umbrella of safe and secure payment processing. Service fees collected electronically in 2014 alone surpassed Dh15 billion.

“About 1.3 million ‘Al Haslah’ e-Dirham cards are currently in use across more than 5,000 point-of-sale and electronic collection machines throughout the country. Moreover, clients can pay with all other types of cards issued by banks inside and outside the country, if they are compatible with the e-Dirham system,” Al Yateem said.