UAE Opens Two New Payment Routes for Federal Fees and Fines

Citizens and businesses paying federal fees and fines in the United Arab Emirates now have two new ways to settle what they owe, after the Ministry of Finance became the first federal government entity to implement the “Aani” and “Jaywan” payment solutions. The change, authorized under Cabinet Resolution No. (176M/4M) of 2026, is designed to reduce the time and friction involved whenever the public interacts with government financial systems.

Both platforms were developed domestically and launched under Central Bank supervision. “Aani,” the UAE’s national instant payment platform, lets users transfer funds and settle payments around the clock using a mobile number, Emirates ID, email address, QR code, or International Bank Account Number. “Jaywan,” the country’s domestic card payment scheme, adds a further secure route for completing federal financial transactions. Together, they give ordinary residents more ways to pay on their own terms, without being tied to a single channel or a fixed window of operating hours.

The Ministry’s decision to lead on both systems is expected to set a precedent. Other federal entities and collection banks will each adopt the channels according to their own approved procedures, a coordinated approach intended to reduce fragmentation and give citizens a more consistent experience when paying fees and fines across government.

Younis Haji AlKhoori, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, framed the initiative as more than an operational upgrade. Integrating these payment solutions, he said, reflects an effort to align government collection methods with how citizens and businesses actually manage their financial lives. The goal is to strengthen the resilience of the national financial system while cutting the friction people encounter when settling obligations to the state.

That friction is a real and routine concern for millions of residents. Faster payment processing reduces delays in revenue collection, which affects how quickly government services can be funded and delivered. Meanwhile, lower transaction operating costs carry potential downstream benefits: efficiency gains in revenue management can support broader fiscal sustainability, with implications for the quality and reach of public services over time.

Saeed Rashid Al Yateem, Assistant Undersecretary for the Government Budget and Revenue Sector, noted that the new channels are designed to accelerate the revenue collection process itself, meaning payments are processed more quickly and reliably. That speed supports the government’s capacity to maintain and expand public services without unnecessary administrative burden. Citizens transacting through either platform are also doing so within systems vetted and secured at the national level, an assurance that matters when personal financial identifiers are involved.

The move fits into the UAE government’s wider push to accelerate digital transformation across federal services. By expanding the range of fast, flexible payment options available to the public, the Ministry is addressing a dimension of service quality that touches millions of people managing routine financial obligations every year. Whether other federal entities move quickly to follow the Ministry’s lead, and how smoothly the rollout extends across collection banks, will determine how broadly and how soon the public actually feels the difference.