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 fund 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.
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.
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.
Aani services will be made available to large merchants by their licensed financial institutions and licensed payment service providers. Large merchants shall check with their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers to receive instructions on how to use Aani services.
Aani will be made available, starting from the second half of 2023, to all large merchants who are customers of licensed financial institutions and payment service providers in the UAE. Large merchants 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 payments services to their merchants will gradually offer Aani services to the market. Large merchants can contact their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers to check on when the services will be made available to them.
Aani services will be made available to large merchants by their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers, via their digital channels provided.
Large merchants shall check with their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers to receive instructions on how to use Aani services.
Merchants shall get in touch with their Financial Institution or payment service provider to obtain any information needed.
Fees will be determined by the licensed financial institutions and payment service providers offering the Aani services. Merchants can get in touch with their licensed financial institutions 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, merchants 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 large merchants are a victim of any security incidents what they should do to report and contain the impact of such incidents?
If users believe that their account has been compromised, or a payment has been initiated without authorization, they shall immediately report the event to their licensed financial institution or payment service provider.
In case of any issue, merchants can get in touch immediately with their licensed financial institution or payment service provider.
Fees and charges, if any, are determined by the licensed financial institution and payment service provider.
