Rise of fintech: A new era of smart innovative services

Khaleej Times

20-05-2025

The UAE is racing towards a fully digital future, transforming how people access government services and reshaping everyday experiences across sectors like banking, telecom, healthcare, and hospitality. Driven by its bold vision for smart governance, the nation is harnessing the power of fintech and cutting-edge technologies to make services faster, simpler, and more accessible.
'For Parkin, this shift meant fully digitising our entire ecosystem — covering everything from payments and fines to permits, subscriptions, and tickets. Today, customers can access our services seamlessly through the Parkin mobile app, our website, and integrated government platforms such as the RTA app, RTA website, and Dubai Now app,' says Engineer Ahmed Al Zaabi, Director of Technology and Innovation at Parkin, in an interview with BTR.
'The goal is to simplify public services, reduce friction, and bring time and convenience back to residents. Parkin's use of cloud-based technology powered by green energy also reflects the country's emphasis on sustainability within digital transformation. This aligns with Dubai's Digital Strategy, which aims to digitalise all aspects of life in Dubai, establishing a reliable and robust digital system that enhances the digital economy and empowers a digitally-driven society.'
This evolution is not just about making government services available online — it's about fundamentally rethinking how services are delivered.
Alexander Khanin, Founder of Polynome Group and Machines Can See Summit, notes: 'The UAE's approach to digitalisation has led to creating a fully integrated proactive ecosystem. Today, digital services are not just reactive; they anticipate citizen needs and personalise interactions across sectors. The shift toward a seamless, service-driven, and user-centered model has made accessing government services faster, more intuitive, and more aligned with daily life. This transformation reflects the UAE's broader ambition to become not only a digital hub, but a global leader in citizen-centric governance powered by AI and emerging technologies.'
A prime example of this proactive model is seen in Dubai Electricity and Water Authority's (Dewa) adoption of the 'Services 360' policy. Aysha Al Dhuhoori, Deputy Senior Manager - Artificial Intelligence at Dewa, explains: 'DEWA has adopted Dubai's 'Services 360' policy across all its services in the energy and water sectors to ensure they are seamless, proactive, and integrated, thereby improving customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. The implementation has yielded tangible results, including full automation and a complete transition to self-services that require no physical presence.'
'The policy focuses on digital-first, proactive, and integrated approaches to make government services more efficient and customer-centric. It ensures services are available in real-time through a unified digital identity (UAE Pass), anticipates customer needs, and improves communication. The policy connects databases across government entities, minimising the data required from customers, and provides round-the-clock service channels tailored to their preferences,' she added.
Complementing these efforts, Salem Al Shamsi, Director, Shared Services Applications Department, Digital Dubai Government Establishment, highlights another innovation: 'The Smart Employee application, by Digital Dubai, now includes an AI-powered talent acquisition service. The AI analyses the candidates' CVs based on the job description they have applied for, evaluating their skills, education, and overall suitability for the role. Based on this analysis, HR professionals and recruiters can easily assess whether a candidate is a good fit for the position and proceed accordingly. Currently, around 80 government entities are using the Smart Employee application, and this new service is being gradually rolled out to different entities as part of our expansion plan.'
Elevating Customer Experience
'Fintech has been a key driver of digital transformation in the UAE,' added Al Zaabi. 'The growing use of contactless payment solutions like Google Pay, Apple Pay, and buy-now-pay-later platforms such as Tabby has reshaped how people engage with public services.'
At Parkin, fintech adoption has enabled a critical shift away from legacy systems reliant on physical cash collection, transitioning toward real-time digital payment processing. This not only streamlined financial operations but also elevated the customer experience by making transactions instant and effortless. 'It has empowered us to design smarter services — such as AutoPay and AutoRenewal — easily managed through the Parkin Wallet,' Al Zaabi said.
Today, Parkin boasts that over 92% of its transactions are cashless, processing more than 400,000 mobile transactions daily. The tap-to-pay convenience is made possible by integrating smart payment technologies, wallet systems, and contactless infrastructure across multiple platforms, including the Parkin App, RTA channels, and Dubai Now. Users can easily handle dynamic ticket renewals, scheduled bookings, and automatic payments for shared mobility providers like ekar, Udrive, and Yaldi.
'Our systems are underpinned by a secure, scalable cloud infrastructure that ensures speed, reliability, and a seamless user experience,' Al Zaabi said, highlighting the critical role technology plays behind the scenes.
Similarly, Khanin added, 'Behind the everyday simplicity of 'tap-and-go' payments lies a sophisticated ecosystem. Digital identity platforms like UAE PASS, combined with a robust network of payment systems — such as Apple Pay, Noqodi, and others — create a unified, secure environment for transactions. Importantly, this entire framework is underpinned by strong cybersecurity standards, continuous monitoring, and multi-level redundancy systems to ensure resilience against threats.'
Across other sectors, digital transformation is equally profound. Al Dhuhoori explained how the authority has leveraged digital technologies and integrated systems to raise the bar for quality and reliability in service delivery. This effort has birthed initiatives such as the Actual Load Profiles Simulator (ALPS), an AI-driven platform that uses weather data to accurately simulate solar energy generation without needing individual meters. 'This improves efficiency, reduces losses, and supports renewable energy integration,' Al Dhuhoori said.
Building on this, Al Dhuhoori highlighted how digital innovation is also empowering customers.
'Dewa provides many digital services and smart tools to help customers better understand and manage their electricity and water consumption. Dewa's 'Smart Living' dashboard enables customers to monitor their daily, monthly, and yearly consumption, while the 'My Sustainable Living Programme' allows them to compare their consumption with similar homes with a high degree of energy efficiency. It also provides customised tips for customers to manage their consumption efficiently,' she added.
Customer engagement has also been transformed with the help of Dewa's virtual assistant, 'Rammas for You'. Powered by AI and enhanced with ChatGPT capabilities, Rammas provides multilingual support across Dewa's website and smart app. 'Rammas simulates a live agent, learning from every interaction to better understand and address customer needs,' Al Dhuhoori noted. Customers can either select from menu options or ask direct questions, with Rammas offering transactional services, linking users to complete procedures, and even incorporating a self-evaluation system to continuously enhance its learning.
Highlighting the success of these digital efforts, Al Dhuhoori shared, 'Providing all our services through the website and smart app enabled customers to complete more than 14 million digital transactions in 2024, marking a 12% increase compared to 2023. The digital transactions conducted by Dewa customers included over two million transactions via the website, more than 4.8 million through its smart app and over 7.2 million via various digital channels that Dewa provides in collaboration with its partners.'
In line with these achievements, Dewa scored 98.6% in the Dubai Government Instant Happiness Index by the Dubai Digital Authority, while customer satisfaction, as measured by the Dubai Government Excellence Programme, stood at an impressive 97.01%. Furthermore, Dewa has scored 100% in the International Digital Customer Experience Standard (IDCXS:2022) certificate since its first assessment in 2022.
Beyond customer service, Dewa is deploying AI across internal operations. Initiatives such as Distribution Automation support smart grid operations, while AI agents manage material insights, billing, HR services, legislation guidance, and employee learning. 'We are using artificial intelligence to not only enhance service provision but also improve government efficiency at every level,' Al Dhuhoori emphasised.
A Unified Vision for a Digital Future
The UAE is quickly establishing itself as a global benchmark for public payment digitisation, driven by a forward-thinking, integrated approach.
'The UAE is well on its way to becoming a global benchmark in public payment digitisation. What makes its model unique is the whole-of-government approach — aligning policy, technology, and execution under a unified vision,' according to Al Zaabi.
Government initiatives such as the Paperless Government Mandate, unified platforms like Dubai Now, and integrated mobility solutions — particularly the model used by Parkin — all highlight the UAE's unwavering commitment to innovation.
Al Zaabi emphasised the country's emphasis on providing a seamless, customer-centric experience: 'Our ability to offer multi-service functionality — from parking and car washing to EV charging and valet — within a single app delivers a seamless user experience. The UAE's emphasis on innovation, customer-centric design, and sustainability is what truly sets its approach apart globally,' Al Zaabi added.
Looking ahead, the UAE's digital transformation journey shows no signs of slowing down. The next wave will see an increased focus on personalisation, AI-driven automation, and deeper ecosystem integration.
For Parkin, this future includes 'smarter mobility features like predictive parking availability, enhanced integration with shared mobility providers, and real-time decision-making dashboards,' Al Zaabi revealed. Moreover, the company is expanding its offerings to create a true one-stop-shop experience. 'We're also expanding our service offering to allow users to manage everything from parking and valet bookings to vehicle maintenance, EV charging, and car washing — all within a single app.'