UAE Member Ajman Launches Government Payment Portal on Metaverse

The Ajman Department of Finance (ADF) has launched a government payment platform on the metaverse, a service that registers government suppliers and a new website.

These projects are part of the efforts of Ajman, which is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to promote digital transformation and become a global center for financial services, ADF said in a Friday (Oct. 14) press release.

“The launch of ADF’s services today represents an important step on our digital transformation journey by presenting innovative technical solutions that seek to serve customers and enhance the potential for sustainable growth across various business sectors, contributing to improving the quality of life in Ajman,” the director-general of the department, His Excellency Marwan Ahmed Al Ali, said in the release.

The new Ajman Payment Platform, which is called AjmanPay, enables the collection of fees for Ajman’s local government agencies on the metaverse. It aims to provide a payment channel that customers can use with ease, comfort and safety, according to the release.

The new virtual model for registering suppliers — the Tawreed platform — streamlines suppliers’ ability to register and renew, review and participate in tenders, upload documents and keep track of their processes, the release stated.

ADF’s new website features a user interface that’s designed to be easy to use and to enable ready access to information and services, per the release.

“The launch of these services aligns with ADF’s efforts to activate the digital transformation governance framework and achieve the desired goals toward a digital future,” the agency said in the release.

PYMNTS research has found that the UAE’s eCommerce market is unique on the world stage, with local shoppers using their smartphones for shopping in greater numbers than those in five other countries included in the study.

Read more: UAE Merchants Adapt Shopping Experiences to Consumer Mobile Preferences

For example, 62% of UAE merchants allow online shoppers to pick up orders at in-store kiosks, 32% of UAE shoppers completed their most recent purchase entirely via smartphone, and 25% of UAE consumers picked up their last online order in-store, according to “The 2022 Global Shopping Index: UAE Edition.”

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