Dubai eGovernment's ePay generates Dh2.5bn

Dubai eGovernment's ePay payment gateway, which enables customers to electronically pay their bills and settle dues for various government services, recorded 65 per cent increase in amount collected during 2010.

A total of Dhs2.5bn were collected through 1,888,412 transactions through ePay on behalf of all the participating Dubai government departments by the end of December 2010. This compares to a total of Dhs1.7m through 1,444,788 transactions in 2009.

Dubai Customs, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and Dubai Municipality were the top three government entities respectively in terms of the electronically collected amounts, while the Roads and Transport Authority, Dewa and Dubai Customs were the top three government entities respectively in terms of the number of transactions achieved.

Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment said: "These results clearly indicate the favourable pace of eTransformation in Dubai and also reflect the increasing adoption of ePay as a preferred mode of payment to complete government transactions on one hand and the confidence shown by customers in the efficiency and safety of this option on the other."

Bin Humaidan added: "This service allows both corporate and individual customers to complete ePayment for government services through three ways - credit cards, e-dirham and direct debit from the customer's account in participating banks."

He noted that payment through credit cards was the customers' top preferred option with the amounts electronically collected through credit cards reaching nearly Dh2.136 billion. He also noted the use of direct debit option grew from 26,357 transactions in 2009 to 54,538 transactions in 2010.

Explaining the role played by Dubai eGovernment in providing the foundation required for completing eTransformation in Dubai as per the highest standards observed, Bin Humaidan said, "All government departments need certain electronic ingredients and infrastructures to offer high quality and secure online services aimed at attracting customers and encouraging them to adopt the option of completing their transactions online. In line with this, Dubai eGovernment strives to offer the required ingredients in the shape of centralized services and a joint infrastructure, enabling these departments to provide facilitated services to the public while offering them a suitable ground for concentration and innovation in their respective scopes of activity."

Dubai eGovernment has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UAE Central Bank to expand the scope of its ePay gateway by including new banks. By connecting with the UAESWITCH at UAE Central Bank, Dubai eGovernment will allow corporate or individual customers to settle government departments' fees through its ePay portal using ATM cards or through pre-paid cards. These payment options will be added to the other existing ones, thereby opening new prospects for customers by expanding the number of banks using the ePay gateway from four currently to all the 46 banks using the UAESWITCH.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.