Dubai Smart Government, a pioneering initiative to provide government online services in the emirate, said its mPay amounts have increased by 265 per cent in 2013, demonstrating the rise of mobile app payments in the region.

The iPhone and Android mPay app combines payments from Dubai Police, Dewa, RTA and Etisalat, as well as donations towards Dubai Cares and Al Jalila Foundation.

From 5,720 downloads in 2012, the number of downloads for iPhone and Android phones rose to 13,606, up by 138 per cent, while the number of transactions rose from 38,886 to 95,867 in the same period, up by 147 per cent, said a statement from Dubai Smart Government.  

This helped the amounts generated through mPay to jump from around Dh8.7 million by the end of 2012 to around Dh31.8 million by the end of 2013 thus registering a 265 per cent growth, it added.

Commenting on the results, Ahmed Bin Humaidan, the director general of Dubai Smart Government, said: "Great importance is attached to our mobile apps, as we consider them an effective channel for enabling customers to access government services on the move. Upon launching and subsequently developing this app, we were keen on its connected smart government principles, so we tied up with major partners to offer a convenient app in one place."

Through “mPay,”customers can make also recharge their Salik & Nol cards besides paying their traffic fines, settlement of electricity and water bills and also Etisalat bills.

Additionally, the app allows individual and corporate customers to inquire and pay for the services of the entities participating in it as well as donate to Dubai Cares and Al Jalila Foundation’s projects through the auto-payment feature, which allows regular payment (daily, weekly, monthly or at a specific date given by the customers).-TradeArabia News Service