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 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.
Customers can pay small merchants and sole proprietors by scanning a QR code (static or dynamic), accepting a request to pay on their Aani application, or transferring funds without knowing the merchant or sole proprietor’s IBAN, but using a simple proxy (i.e., merchant tag, generated by Aani – a unique code identifying the merchant or the sole proprietor). This makes the process of billing and payments far easier for both small businesses and their customers.
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.
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.
Aani services will be made available to small merchants and sole proprietors by their licensed financial institutions and licensed payment service providers.
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 instructions on how to use Aani services, small merchants and sole proprietors can contact their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers for more information and guidance.
Aani will be made available, starting from the second half of 2023, to all small merchants and sole proprietors, who are customers of licensed financial institutions and payment service providers in the UAE.
Small merchants and sole proprietors can contact their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers for more information and guidance.
All licensed financial institutions and payment service providers that offer payments services to small merchants and sole proprietors will gradually offer Aani services to the market. Users can contact their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers to check on when the services will be made available to them.
Licensed financial institutions and payment service providers need to enroll small merchants and sole proprietors on Aani, after obtaining their consent. Once done, users can then download the Aani application from Google Play or App Store onto their mobile devices. A simple registration and authentication process will allow them to link their payments accounts to Aani.
For some licensed financial institutions and payment service providers, Aani services may also be integrated directly into their existing mobile applications and other customer channels.
For instructions on how to use Aani services, users can contact their licensed financial institutions or payment service providers for more information and guidance 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 users on Aani using the same mobile number or ID.
Small merchants and sole proprietors can get in touch with their licensed financial institution or payment service provider to obtain any further information if required.
Fees will be determined by licensed financial institutions and payment service providers offering Aani’s services. Small merchants and sole proprietors shall 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 users believe that their account has been compromised, or a payment has been initiated without authorisation, they shall immediately report the event to their licensed financial institution or payment service provider.
In case of any issue small merchants and sole proprietors can get in touch with their licensed financial institution or payment service provider.
Are there any fees and charges for on-going support?
Fees and charges for support, if any, are determined by the licensed financial institution and payment service provider.
