UAE set to launch bill payment by e-mail

UAE residents will soon be able to pay all their bills by e- mail and mobile phones without having to queue up for a long time when a landmark M-Government initiative is launched, the Central Bank said on Monday.

In a statement, the Central Bank said it hosted talks on Sunday to discuss measures to launch that project in collaboration with banks and GSM service provide3rs.

The Bank said it would develop a common payment system for this purpose and urged Etisalat and Du, the UAE’s sole GSM service providers, to introduce “a more user-friendly” e-mail system or other systems to facilitate what it described as “fast and efficient” transmission of bills to consumers.

“The Central Bank confirmed that it would urge banks to use SMS to confirm transactions on credit cards and bank accounts as a means of reducing fraud,” it said.

“The Central Bank urged both Etisalat and Du to reduce their charges for data transmission and SMS messages..it also urged them to reduce cost of core systems to enable payment and encourage customers to carry out transactions on mobile devices.”

The statement said Sunday’s meeting recognized the need for close collaboration between the Central Bank, banking sector and the telecommunications sector in the UAE to ensure that effective regulations are enacted.

It said the talks were attended by Central Bank governor Sultan bin Nassir Al Suwaidi, Etisalat and Du directors and Tirad Mahmoud, CEO of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank on behalf of the UAE banks’ federation. The talks were in support of the m-Government initiative launched on May 22, it added.

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