Online financial transactions in Bahrain jump 55%

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Bahrain - A significant spike in online payments for government services has been noted in the results of the Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) channels’ performance during the first half (H1) of 2022.

Financial transactions jumped 55 per cent to approximately 1.9 million, bringing in BD334m in revenue via the iGA’s various digital channels, including the National Portal, bahrain.bh, the eGovernment Apps Store, bahrain.bh/apps, and eKiosks.

There was also a 12pc increase in the number of government apps users compared with the same period in 2021 and 9,789,000 visits to the portal during the first half of 2022, an increase of 31pc.

iGA deputy chief executive of eTransformation Dr Zakariya AlKhajah said the increase in online transactions is in line with directives by Bahrain’s leadership to introduce digital transformation strategies and initiatives across all areas of the government.

The H1 2022 report revealed a major trend among citizens and residents to carry out transactions via government mobile apps, accounting for 47pc of payments, with the remaining 53pc carried out via the portal. This was 12pc higher compared with the same period last year.

The most popular apps were BeAware Bahrain, Islamiyat, and eTraffic with an increase of 88pc, 81pc, and 55pc respectively.

Over 1.2m transactions were carried out via the portal, totalling more than BD306m in revenues during H1 2022, an increase of 62pc compared with the same period last year.

These results reflect public awareness of the value of online services.

Golden visas, first time passport issuance, good conduct certificate requests, and civil records updates were the most in-demand eServices on the portal.