The growth of ePayment value across various eGovernment channels in Bahrain reached 12 per cent during the first quarter of 2018 versus last quarter of 2017, said a report from Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA).

Values reach more than BD23 million ($60.7 million) were completed from January to March 2018 with an increase of 10 per cent in number of financial transactions.

Such growth, shown in the report, attributes to the continuous developments implemented by the General Directorate of eTransformation at the iGA along with the awareness campaigns conducted to encourage users to benefit from the online services.

 The number of visits to the national portal (Bahrain.bh), the main eGovernment channel, has reached nearly 1.9 million visits which raised the number of accomplished transactions by 11 per cent. Such transactions include the ‘Execution Services’ - provided by the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Awqaf – which increased by 94 per cent during the first quarter of this year in comparison to the fourth quarter of last year.

In addition, the ‘Passport Renewal’ eService - provided by the Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs – increased by 62 per cent during the same period.

The mobile apps, available on Bahrain.bh, witnessed a growth by 19 per cent in utilization with an increase in number of financial transactions by 5 per cent; while the value of accomplished transactions during the first quarter of 2018 witnessed a decrease by 25 per cent.

The top five utilized apps included the Student Exam Results, eTraffic Services, Electricity and Water Services, GovEmployee and Postal Services. A number of services on the apps saw a rise in the value of transactions during the first quarter – some of which comprise the ‘King Fahad Causeway Insurance’ eService available on the eTraffic app and increased in usage by 10 times.

Moreover, the eService ‘Mailbox Renewal’ – accessible via the Postal Services app - has risen by nearly twice.

The eKiosks also witnessed an increase in usage by 7 per cent, value of accomplished transactions increased by 33 per cent with an increase in number of financial transactions of 20 per cent during the same period. The services ‘Payment of Criminal Orders’ and ‘Vehicle Registration Renewal’ were amongst the top used services. – TradeArabia News Service