Dubai, 05 October 2015

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) recently signed an agreement with Ajman's Department of Finance to implement the e-Dirham system for the payment of government service fees provided to the public and the collection of revenues. The signing, which took place in Dubai, reflects the Ministry's commitment to support the implementation of the e-Dirham system, in order to enhance the delivery of government services to citizens and residents.

The agreement was signed by HE Younis Haji Al Khoori, Undersecretary of MoF, HE Marwan Al Ali, Director General of the Department of Finance - Ajman and HE Saif Al Shehhi, Senior Managing Director, UAE Government and VVIP Clients, National Bank of Abu Dhabi. The ceremony was also attended by HE Saeed Rashid Al Yateem, Assistant Undersecretary of Resources and Budget Sector at MoF, Azza Mohamed Al Suwaidi, Director of Revenue Development Department at MoF and Abdul Rahman Al Balooshi, Director of the Government Resources Department at DoF- Ajman. 

HE Younis Haji Al Khoori, Undersecretary of MoF, said: "Signing this agreement with DoF-Ajman reflects the commitment of UAE local departments to adopt the e-Dirham system as the primary channel for collecting fees for services delivered to their customers. The continued implementation of the system across the UAE underlines the success of our e-dirham initiative, which was launched by the Ministry in 2001."

HE Al Khoori added: "The e-dirham system is characterised by a high level of accuracy and efficiency, which enhances the delivery of government services. This advantage is one of the main drivers behind the increased use of the e-Dirham system amongst UAE citizens and residents, in addition to the continuous development of the system's operations and the various services developed for users across corporate sectors and businesses."HE Marwan Al Ali, Director General of the Department of Finance - Ajman stated that as per the directives of Sheikh Ahmed bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Representatives of the Ruler of Ajman for Financial and Administrative Affairs and Chairman of the Department of Finance in Ajman; the Department is keen to implement the e-Dirham system to enhance the efficiency and effective management of government financial resources.HE Al Ali also highlighted that this agreement reflects the vision of the UAE's wise leadership to shift towards a smart government. HE Saif Al Shehhi, Senior Managing Director, UAE Government and VVIP Clients, National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) said: "At NBAD, we are always looking to strengthen our strategic partnership with MoF, which gave us confidence from the start in the launch of the second generation of the e-Dirham system. Signing an agreement to adopt the e-Dirham system confirms the ongoing partnership between the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Finance in Ajman. " HE Al Shehhi added: "We are confident that this agreement will make the payment of fees for government services easier for users and beneficiaries of the services offered by the Department of Finance in Ajman, and will enhance revenue collection by the Department."  The second generation of the e-Dirham system was launched in 2011 through a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Finance and National Bank of Abu Dhabi. More than 80 million federal government e- services have been implemented, achieving a revenue of over AED 17 billion. The number of "Al Haslah" e-Dirham prepaid cards issued as of H1'2015 has increased to over 41.4 million and there are now more than 5,000 e-Dirham system POS and collection devices across all emirates. The system provides a database, detailed reports and prompt financial operations for government institutions; which aids in implementing control, audit and conformity operations, as well as measuring their speed and efficiency. This supports decision-making processes and enhances the effectiveness of financial and human resources.The e-Dirham system is integrated with global payment networks through two national payment gateways (e-payment gateway & POS and mobile gateway), which are continuously developed and adapted to meet technological changes.

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