The Ministry of Finance (MoF) launched the Third Generation e-Dirham cards (e-Dirham G3), in cooperation with new government entities and national banks across the UAE. These new cards facilitate the collection of state fees and revenues, make transactions more convenient, and give customers easier and safer e-payment methods when paying government fees. All the aforementioned is in line with MoF’s efforts to further improve services in various government entities, and to provide new and advanced digital payment methods that contribute to the UAE’s digital transformation in financial services.
MoF indicated that all customers can now pay government services fees using the new e-Dirham system. The new phase of the system included the Ministry of Economy (MoE), the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Emirates Development Bank (EDB), Department of Finance – Ajman, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Zayed University. Also included were several national banks, namely the Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD), First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), Ras Al Khaimah Bank (RAK Bank) and National Bank of Fujairah (NBF).
H.E. Younis Haji Al Khoori, Undersecretary of MoF said: “Since its launch, the e-Dirham system improved rapidly, embodying the best international practices in Fintech and digital payments, and providing customers with unprecedented flexibility and security, in line with the UAE Vision 2021’s objectives.”
H.E. added: “We will continue to cooperate with our strategic partners to further improve services in various government entities, and to provide new and advanced digital payment methods that contribute to the UAE’s digital transformation. This will enhance the UAE’s standing in global competitiveness indices, in smart governance, and in adopting a knowledge-based and digital economy, in line with the wise leadership’s directives and the UAE Centennial 2071’s objectives.”
With the e-Dirham’s advanced digital infrastructure, customers can now pay their service fees directly through their phones via the e-Dirham app ‘Mubasher’ – providing flexibility, efficiency and security. They simply need to link the app with one of their bank account at one of the participating banks, to then be able to make instant payments, view their transaction history and manage their user profile on the go.
The new generation of e-Dirham includes 3 cards with different benefits: The ‘Hala Card’ is a card suitable for new customers who want make one-time payments. No registration or documents are required, and the card can be topped-up with a balance of up to AED 3,500. The ‘Gold Card’ is a prepaid card with multiple recharge options, suitable for regular payments and multiple transactions. This card requires registration to provide an additional level of security. The Premium Card is a customisable prepaid card that requires registration. It is suitable for individual and corporate customers with high balances without a maximum recharge limit.
Since the year 2016, e-Dirham witnessed tremendous growth with regards to the collected revenues of federal government services – which ranged around AED 7.6 billion in 2016 and exceeded AED 22 billion in 2019. In addition, 49 million transactions were done using e-Dirham cards in 2019.
