The UAE’s Ministry of Finance on Wednesday said customers can now pay government services fees using various payment options accepted in the Emirates.
The move comes in response to customers’ suggestions and requirements, the ministry said, as it aims to provide customers with “easier, more flexible and more efficient payment methods”.
The customers can select the appropriate payment method to pay federal government services fees using common e-payment methods, such as Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, bank transfers, as well as direct debit and credit cards.
Over the next three months, federal government entities will gradually stop using the eDirham platform as a payment method for their services fees, the ministry said.
The Covid-19 pandemic spurred the faster adoption of digital payments, particularly contactless payments, because of heightened awareness about the spread of the virus through banknotes and plastic money.
More than half of UAE consumers now use digital wallets, a June survey by payments solutions provider Checkout.com showed. About 48 per cent of respondents said that digital wallets could lead to a cashless society in a decade.
About 88 per cent of consumers in the UAE have used at least one emerging payment method in the past year as the move towards a digital economy accelerates, a new survey found.
Nearly 40 per cent of UAE residents used a tappable smartphone mobile wallet, 29 per cent used buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services, 20 per cent used cryptocurrency and 18 per cent used a payment-enabled wearable tech device, Mastercard’s New Payments Index 2022 found.
The UAE is taking several steps to boost its digital economy and exploit the advantages provided by emerging technology.
Abu Dhabi climbed 14 places to rank 28th out of 118 cities in a global ranking of smart cities released in October.
The UAE capital also led the Middle East region for the third consecutive year in the use of technology to improve the quality of life for residents.
Last month, Dubai announced the formation of the higher committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy focused on developing the sector.
