Consumers across the United Arab Emirates will soon be able to make payments across a “variety of services” using their mobile phone and Empay, a common mobile payment platform based on NFC. The solution forms part of Dubai’s Smart Government Initiative which aims to transform Dubai into the world’s smartest city.

The Empay service will incorporate a “number of service providers including commercial banks, government departments, exchange houses, retailers, educational institutions and transportation companies” into a common platform to allow consumers to pay for a variety of services with a tap of their mobile phone or wearable device.

The solution has been developed by Dubai Economic Department (DED) subsidiary Emcredit using technology supplied by payment solutions provider Cardtek.

Smart yet simple

“Through the collaboration, consumers in the UAE will be able to make retail payments (in-store and remote payment), initiate money transfers, pay for government utilities, telecommunication and school fees among many other options from a single mobile wallet,” Cardtek says. “The solution uses NFC technology and allows consumers to use both mobile devices and wearables.”

“With Empay, our goal is and will always be to push the boundaries of innovation to give the people of UAE smarter yet simple ways to conduct financial and non-financial transactions,” says Muna Al Qassab, CEO of Emcredit. “Empay is poised to change the very way we transact, offering speed and security like never before.”

Consumers across Dubai will also be able to make in-store and online payments using only their mobile phone numbers through a service set to be launched by payment solutions providers Quisk Middle East and Network International which also comes under Dubai’s Smart Government Initiative.

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