Aani is an instant payment platform operated by Al Etihad Payments, a Central Bank of the UAE subsidiary.
Aani will enable licensed financial institutions and other payment service providers to offer a new, instant and seamless payment experience to consumers, businesses, corporates, and government entities. Aani will allow digital payments to be processed instantly, on a 24x7 basis, securely and seamlessly from anyone to anyone.
Aani aims at modernising the payments infrastructure of the UAE, increasing financial inclusion across all segments of the society, and ultimately moving us towards a cashless society. Its services include a user-friendly and secure mobile application which allows for a wide range of payment functionalities – transferring money to a recipient’s phone number or email, payment through Proxy Payments, QR code based payments, Request to Pay, and other future functionalities like electronic Direct Debit Authorization and fully digital cheques.
To allow users to familiarise with Aani’s features in a controlled manner, Aani will support payments of up to 50,000 AED at the initial stage.
The key services offered by licensed financial institutions through Aani include the innovative Aani mobile application, that supports fund transfer from your existing account at licensed financial institutions and payment service providers, using only a proxy reference, such as the mobile number or email address of the beneficiary, QR code based payments, and request to pay. In the near future, Aani will also offer electronic direct debit authorisation, instant direct debit payments, and first-of-a-kind end-to-end digitised cheque, that can be issued, cleared, and settled instantly.
Aani offers a convenient, secure, and user-friendly way to transfer and settle funds anytime, in less than 10 seconds, based on the highest international standards and security measures. It simplifies the settlement process and delivers a real-time payment experience.
What are the differences with other existing payment solutions (e.g., e-wallets, mobile applications, payment cards)?
Aani is operated by Al Etihad Payments, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE, and offered to the market by licensed financial institutions and payment service providers. Unlike many e-wallets, Aani enables instant and ubiquitous payments experience.
It can also be considered as an alternative of debit card payments for merchants and online shopping, leveraging real-time, 24x7 processing.
Yes. Aani enables instant fund transfers to a diverse range of beneficiaries and facilitates secure payments for various services, from government payments and bills to online shopping and in-store purchases.
Will there be more services, functionalities and features available in future? If yes, what is the timetable of availability?
Aani will continue to introduce innovative functionalities, including electronic direct debit authorisation, instant direct debit payments, and the first-of-a-kind end-to-end digitised cheque.
At present, Aani payments are limited to domestic transfers, allowing customers to send and receive money only between accounts held at licensed financial institutions or licensed payment service providers in the UAE, in AED. Nevertheless, Al Etihad Payments will continue exploring opportunities to connect with overseas instant payment platforms to facilitate cross-border instant payments, including international remittances.
Aani services can be accessed through the user-friendly and secure mobile application Aani, available on Google Play and on the App Store. Licensed financial institutions and licensed payment service providers can also choose to offer the Aani functionalities through their native mobile applications and other customer channels. For further details on how to access and use Aani services, customers can contact their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers, for more information and guidance.
Aani will be made available starting from October 2023 to all customers of licensed financial institutions and payment service providers in the UAE, including individuals, merchants, and corporates. Customers can contact their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers to check on when such services will be made available to them.
All licensed financial institutions and payment service providers that offer payment services to retail customers will gradually offer Aani services to the market. Customers can contact their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers to check on when such services will be made available to them.
Licensed financial institutions and payment service providers, with the consent of customers, can enroll their customers on Aani. Once done, customers can then download the Aani application from Google Play or App Store onto their mobile devices. A simple registration and authentication process will allow customers to link their payments accounts to Aani.
For some licensed financial institutions and payment service providers, Aani services will be also integrated directly in their existing mobile applications and other customer channels.
Customers can check with their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers on how to start using Aani and what the terms and conditions are.
Yes, multiple payment accounts can be linked to the Aani mobile application, provided that the different licensed financial institutions or payment service provider, to which the accounts belong, have enrolled the customers on Aani using the same mobile number or ID.
Customers can directly get in touch with their licensed financial institution or payment service provider to obtain any information needed.
Fees will be determined by licensed financial institutions and payment service providers offering Aani’s services. Customers can reach out to their licensed financial institution or payment service providers for such information.
Aani is developed using the best-in-class secure technology to ensure that payments processed on its network are fully secure and safe.
All payments will require authorisation to be executed, through biometrics authentication or PIN. Nevertheless, customers are reminded of the importance of information security and should always ensure that they are initiating payments to the right beneficiaries. They should also take caution in checking the authenticity of the requesters of any payment as well as their transaction history
If users believe that their account has been compromised, or a payment has been initiated without authorisation, they should immediately report the event to their licensed financial institution or payment service provider.
When users encounter any possible operational issues, what kind of support is available from Aani?
In case of any issue customers shall get in touch immediately with their financial institution or payment service provider.
Fees and charges for support, if any, are determined by the licensed financial institution and payment service provider.
