55pc rise in ePayment transactions in 2016

Manama : The number of online transactions has shown an increase of 55 per cent in 2016, an increase of 32 per cent in value terms at BD46 million, data released by Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) said yesterday.  The data took into account e-payment transactions on the national portal (Bahrain.bh), eGovernment Apps Store (Bahrain.bh/apps), and eKiosks.

The rise in epayment transactions follows iGA’s continuous efforts to implement its strategy on online payments and eTransformation in phases to suit the needs of the public and employ the best technology. 

The method of paying fees of government services online is a step in the right direction. The Authority has succeeded in providing faster and easier epayment services while ensuring security and privacy of users. 648,000 epayment transactions were conducted via Bahrain with a total amount of up to BD43 million in 2016, according to data. Several payment services via the portal achieved an increase in the number of transactions and payments such as the services request for ebirth certificates, passport renewal etc. Such rise is due to the enhancements of the services and the impact of change management in achieving eTransformation within government services. Payments have also been raised via the Sijilat services due to the continuous collaboration amongst the authority together with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism. The total number of visits to services available on the portal has exceeded 3.4 million visits – some of these services include the Pre-Employment Health Check-up appointments for foreign employees, Payment of Criminal Orders, Travel Ban and Passport Renewal.

During the same period, more than 51,000 payment transactions were conducted online via applications available in the Bahrain eGovernment Apps Store for nearly BD3 million which is equivalent to three times the amounts paid through the apps during 2015.

 Downloading apps have also increased by 6 per cent - most of which were for the apps Student Exam Results, followed by the Traffic Services and Electricity and Water Services. The total number of mobile applications by beneficiaries reached approximately 4.5 million users – an increase that reaches about 21 per cent compared to 2015. The list of the most frequently utilized apps was topped by the Gov Employee app, Student Exam Results app and the Traffic Services app due to the services of interest to a large segment of the public.

In regards to the eKiosk, which have had developed features of payment services since the launch of the revamped eKiosks in May 2016, more than 6,000 payment transactions have been conducted through it – with a total amount of nearly BD83,000. Majority of the transactions were for  services like Request for eBirth Certificates and the service Issue Copies of Student Certificates