Cashless Dubai Working Group holds 2nd meeting, highlights progress made in outlining Dubai cashless roadmap

Dubai – The Cashless Dubai Working Group has held its second meeting to develop a plan of action to transform all payments in the emirate into cashless transactions, in line with the Cashless Dubai initiative. The Group explored secure and seamless payment solutions as part of its plan to achieve the objectives of Dubai’s digital transformation process.

The meeting brought together H.E. Abdulrahman Saleh Al Saleh, Director General of the Government of Dubai’s Department of Finance; Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-In-Chief of Dubai Police; H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA); H.E. Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED); H.E. Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing; H.E. Hamad Buamim, President and CEO of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry; H.E. Ahmad Saeed bin Meshar Al Muhairi, Secretary General of the Supreme Legislation Committee in Dubai; H.E. Younus Al Nasser, Assistant Director General of Smart Dubai, CEO of the Dubai Data Establishment; H.E. Faisal Yousef Sulaitin, Executive Director of the Dubai Economic Security Centre; and H.E. Wesam Lootah, CEO of the Smart Dubai Government Establishment; along with executive teams from various government entities in the emirate.

During the meeting, the Cashless Dubai Working Group was briefed regarding the progress made in the first quarter of the year, where a roadmap was outlined to execute a calculated transition towards a cashless society, in collaboration with the government and private sectors. The roadmap is a cornerstone of the Cashless Dubai initiative; it is a strategic document that determines the Group’s initiatives and efforts to fill the gaps and drive the emirate’s transition towards a cashless society.

Meanwhile, H.E. Younus Al Nasser asserted: “The Cashless Dubai initiative aims to cement Dubai’s position alongside the world’s most advanced cities, paving the way for it to be the smartest and happiest city on Earth. The initiative drives a secure and successful transition towards a cashless society, enabling a seamless payment experience in the emirate, and supporting the transformation of the Dubai government into a completely paperless administration. This amounts to a turning point in the way we develop experiences and government services in the city, setting the stage for the full digitization of external and internal payment processes from beginning to end and across all entities.”

“Smart Dubai is working in close cooperation with our strategic partners from the government and private sectors to develop innovative payment mechanisms that employ advanced technology, provide secure cashless services across all sectors, and boost the collective efforts made to accelerate Dubai’s successful and smooth transformation into a cashless society,” H.E. Al Nasser continued. “The Cashless Dubai initiative will be working to develop ambitious initiatives, establish the necessary infrastructure, and create the right conditions to render the use of cash currency obsolete in Dubai. This, in turn, will bring the emirate closer to its smart city and happiness objectives.”

DOF Director General H.E. Abdulrahman Saleh Al Saleh said: "The second Dubai cashless meeting was fruitful," said Abdulrahman Saleh Al Saleh, DOF's Director General. "DOF, alongside all government entities involved in implementing the Dubai Cashless initiative are keen to provide the necessary expertise and efforts to achieve what is stated in the framework that directs a safe and successful transition towards a cashless society, and sheds light on the enabling factors such as governance and technology, and shows the benefits provided by this transformation for governments, individuals and companies."

"Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, we will continue to work with our partners from public and private sectors to make this ambitious initiative nothing but a great success. There has been a commended progress achieved during the first quarter of the year, and I believe that the roadmap guarantees the achievement of a deliberate transition towards a cashless society according to standards that the Government of Dubai will be the pioneer to establish in this newly emerging field, which only a few governments around the world currently adopt or contemplate." Al Saleh added.

For his part, H.E. Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of Dubai Economy, said: “The Dubai Cashless Working Group is moving according to a well-crafted plan of action to develop a precise roadmap for the transition towards a cashless society and to make sure that everyone has access to safe and easy cashless payment methods. The Group aims to consolidate the efforts of all government agencies concerned to accelerate Dubai’s successful and smooth transformation into a cashless society. As a key enabler of the transition towards a cashless economy, Dubai Economy is committed to working with our public and private sector partners to achieve the objectives of the Dubai Cashless Working Group, in line with the growing demand for digital payments globally.”

The Dubai Cashless roadmap extends over a period of four years, operating through a set of specific initiatives to drive a gradual transition towards a cashless society in the Emirate of Dubai. The Working Group will be conducting a full evaluation of the potential risks and challenges the initiative may run into upon implementation, as well as an annual survey of payment processes and methods to collect data on consumer preferences.

The Dubai Government had formed the Cashless Dubai Working Group in November 2020, with members representing the General Secretariat of the Dubai Executive Council, Dubai Department of Finance, Smart Dubai, the Supreme Legislation Committee, Dubai Economy, Dubai Police, Dubai Economic Security Centre, Dubai Chamber, Dubai Economic Security Center, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing, and the Roads and Transport Authority.

The Group brings entities together to cooperate and set a plan of action to convert all payments in Dubai into secure and seamless cashless transitions across all sectors. It is also tasked with outlining a roadmap for a calculated transition towards a cashless society.

In its inaugural meeting, the Working Group launched the Dubai Cashless Framework Report, developed by Smart Dubai and the Dubai Department of Finance to promote the use of smart payment platforms for all transactions to phase out the use of physical cash.

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© Press Release 2021