Dubai Smart Government said a record Dh5.6 billion ($1.52 billion) had been collected from 4.54 million transactions through ePay in 2013, up 27 per cent compared to the previous year on behalf of all the participating Dubai government departments.

The ePay portal, a medium for instant payment of Dubai government fees through the internet or mobile phones, continues to register solid growth, revealed the recent Dubai Smart Government’s (DSG) statistics.

The DSG has registered a 37 per cent increase in the number of completed transactions through the ePay system, it added.

Both ePay and mPay are part of the Dubai Smart Government’s initiative aimed at providing government services through innovative channels in order to ease the lives of people and businesses interacting with the Dubai government.

DSG said the ePay had generated revenue worth Dh4.4 billion from 3.31 million transactions in 2012.

Accordingly, ePay has been offering huge benefits in terms of reducing government expenses through investment in DSG’s technical infrastructure which is offered to all Dubai-based government entities and departments on one hand, and to individual and corporate users on the other.

Commenting on the remarkable increase in the use of eServices, Ahmed Bin Humaidan, the DSG director general, said: "These results are a clear indication of the growing pace of eTransformation in Dubai; further reflected by the growing demand on the adoption of ePay to complete government transactions."

"It also expresses the strong confidence of our customers in this highly efficient and secure solution. ePay contributes to the national economy and helps create a sustainable green environment, since it reduces traffic movement and congestion, by avoiding unnecessary visits to government counters, thereby reducing wastage of assets and enhancing the green economy of the nation," remarked Bin Humaidan.

"We have come a long way in providing our clients with cutting-edge smart government applications in various fields, specifically in financial dealing which is the most sensitive for both individual and corporate users," he added.

Bin Humaidan said DSG was able to successfully boost user confidence through constant improvements to the portal such as enhancing the online payment system through the 3D Secure System and offering multiple payment options for customers.

"The ePay portal allows both individuals and corporate users to pay online for more than 250 eServices, either through the second generation eDirham, credit cards or debit cards from five leading banks: Commercial Bank of Dubai, Dubai Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and Union National Bank," he noted.-TradeArabia News Service