eGovernment payments rise

Manama : Bahrain recorded a 12 per cent growth in ePayment value across various channels during the first quarter of 2018, according to a quarterly report. 

Values of payments, according to the report monitoring the performance of the eGovernment channels, has reached more than BD23 Million from January to March 2018 with an increase of 10pc in the number of financial transactions. 

The report attributes the growth to the continuous developments implemented by the General Directorate of eTransformation at the Information & eGovernment Authority along with the awareness campaigns conducted to encourage users to benefit from the online services. 

The number of visits to the national portal (Bahrain.bh) has reached nearly 1.9 Million, which raised the number of accomplished transactions by 11pc.

Transactions include the ‘Execution Services’ - provided by the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Awqaf – which increased by 94% during the first quarter of this year in comparison to the fourth quarter of last year. In addition to the ‘Passport Renewal’ eService - provided by the Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs – which increased by 62pc during the same period.  

Apps contribute 19pc 

The mobile apps, available on Bahrain.bh/apps, witnessed a growth by 19pc in utilization with an increase in the number of financial transactions by 5pc; while the value of accomplished transactions during the first quarter of 2018 witnessed a decrease by 25pc. 

The top five utilized apps included the Student Exam Results, eTraffic Services, Electricity and Water Services, GovEmployee and Postal Services. 

A number of services on the apps saw a rise in the value of transactions during the first quarter – some of which comprise the ‘King Fahad Causeway Insurance’ eService available on the eTraffic app and increased in usage by 10 times. Moreover, the eService ‘Mailbox Renewal’ – accessible via the Postal Services app - has risen by nearly twice.  

eKiosks generate 7pc

The eKiosks also witnessed an increase in usage by 7pc, the value of accomplished transactions increased by 33pc with an increase in a number of financial transactions of 20pc during the same period. The services ‘Payment of Criminal Orders’ and ‘Vehicle Registration Renewal’ were amongst the top used services.