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Dubai's ePay transactions volume rises nearly 50%

By Abdul Basit DUBAI - Dubai's ePayment gateway transaction volume soared nearly 50 per cent to Dh3.83 billion in 2011 while number of transactions increased over 50 per cent last year, compared to previous year, according to statistics issued by Dubai eGovernment on Wednesday.

The top three departments in terms of amounts collected were Dubai Customs, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority ( Dewa ) and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) respectively, while the top three in terms of number of transactions were DHA, DEWA and the Roads and Transport Authority respectively.

Payments for 2.88 million transactions reached Dh3.83 billion by the end of December 2011, as compared to Dh2.57 billion for 1.89 million transactions in 2010, according to the statistics. This service allows individual and corporate clients to electronically pay for government services either via credit cards or via direct debit from their accounts in the participating banks.

"These results reflect the rapid pace of eTransformation in Dubai. They affirm the increasing demand among customers to adopt the ePay option for completing their government transactions on one hand and their high trust in the efficiency and security of this option on the other," Ahmed bin Humaidan, director general of Dubai eGovernment , said.

The credit card option ranked first among customers, with related transactions amounting to around Dh3.3 billion out of the total amounts collected. A growing preference was noticed for direct debit, which accounted for 522, 815 transactions in 2011 over 54, 538 transactions in 2010.

The role of Dubai eGovernment in providing the foundations for Dubai to pursue its eTransformation goal in accordance with the highest global standards, he explained, adding: "All government departments require various components and electronic infrastructures to provide safe, high-quality services that further encourage customers to perform electronic transactions. We at Dubai eGovernment are working hard to provide these components in the form of centralized services and a common infrastructure to make it easier for those departments to provide their services to the public via a suitable platform that encourages creativity and specialisation."

The ePay gateway forms part of Dubai eGovernment 's initiative to deliver government services through innovative channels with the aim of easing government transactions for businesses and the general public in Dubai. It offers these two segments an opportunity to make instant payment of government fees through effective and convenient payment facilities without having to waste time and efforts visiting banks or the concerned departments as they can use other electronic channels including the Internet or mPay for more urgent transactions.

Earlier, Dubai eGovernment signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UAE Central Bank to expand the scope of its ePay gateway by including new banks. By connecting with the UAESWITCH at UAE Central Bank, Dubai eGovernment will allow corporate or individual customers to settle government entities' fees through Dubai eGovernment 's ePay portal using ATM cards or through pre-paid cards.

These payment options will be added to the other options that are already available to customers. Dubai eGovernment is keen on leveraging its cooperation with UAE Central Bank to open new prospects for customers by expanding the number of banks using the ePay gateway from five at present to all the 46 banks using the UAESWITCH.

© Khaleej Times 2012