e-Dirham, the national e-payment system initiated by the UAE Ministry of Finance (MoF) in collaboration with National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), was recently conferred with the Special Merit Award for Government to Business and Customer (G2BC) Engagement at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa, Dubai. The award was given by Terrapin Middle East, the organiser of the 17th annual Cards and Payments Middle East.

The award confirms the significant success of e-Dirham, the smart substitute of cash, in leading the payments industry in its quest to achieve a cashless economy in line with the UAE leadership’s vision.

The participation by e-Dirham at the Cards and Payments Middle East, the premier event of its kind in the region, has attracted great interest and praise from both general visitors and industry players on May 31-June 1 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The e-Dirham pavilion showcased the latest services under its umbrella featuring the safety and convenience of this national e-payment portal. e-Dirham was launched in 2001, and the G2 (second generation) services were rolled out in 2011 by the UAE Ministry of Finance (MoF) in collaboration with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi. Coinciding with the opening of the smart payments exhibition, the MoF launched its latest partnership that would make it possible for consumers to pay through an e-wallet at more than 100 fuel stations and convenience stores across the UAE.

Under the tie-up with ENOC (Emirates National Oil Company), anyone buying fuel and daily provisions can pay through the e-Dirham e-wallet, without using any cash or card. The facility is available at 112 ENOC and EPPCO service stations, and all Zoom retail stores in the country.

e-Dirham has gone beyond payments requiring a physical card. This is in accordance with international user trends, especially with the growing popularity of digital wallets that enable all financial transactions through a single gateway accessible on a smart device. The e-Dirham system uses the triple data encryption standard (3DES), making these transactions extremely secure.

All these were highlighted to visitors at the exhibition, helping further raise awareness about e-Dirham as a widely used mode of payment for UAE government and semi-government services.

Reflecting other significant achievements, the MoF announced that the total collection reached AED 22 billion under the G2 services of e-Dirham, delivering more than 130 million e-service transactions. e-Dirham also achieved 20% growth in services and revenue in the past 12 months. The rate of customer satisfaction was between 85%-92% based on the AC Nielsen survey.

His Excellency Saeed Rashid Al Yateem, Assistant Undersecretary of Resources and Budget Sector, Ministry of Finance, said: “The e-Dirham system is the national substitute of cash, representing a pioneer government initiative in the field of smart payments. It supports all cashless payment and collection, including payment platforms through internet and mobile phones to realise the goals of shifting to electronic and smart government services.”

“The goal of our participation in the exhibition was to share our ideas, knowledge and experiences with global providers of cards and smart payment solutions. The recognition of e-Dirham in Government to Business and Customer (G2BC) Engagement is thanks to the relentless effort of its team to achieve excellent performance and provide exceptional services,” Al Yateem added.

Saeed Al Khoori, Managing Director UAE Government & VVIP Clients, National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), said: “Strengthening partnerships is the guiding principle that has distinguished the participation of e-Dirham in the Cards and Payments Middle East. The pursuit for successful partnerships continues since the launch of e-Dirham’s G2 services. The system has indeed witnessed a boom with the expansion of its services and presence.”

“This year’s exhibition presented e-Dirham’s successful models and practical applications for convenient, safe and effective cashless payments. These include the e-wallet payments at ENOC fuel stations and Zoom stores, and the services offered through the Max Box kiosks,” Al Khoori added.

In its 17th edition, the Cards and Payments Middle East tackled opportunities and challenges faced by the industry such as more efficient payment networks; the future of banks; data security; merging e-technologies with the next generation of wearable devices; contactless payments through near field communication; the Internet of Things; and its imminent impact on e-commerce.