In 2009, the Ministry of Finance
signed an agreement of partnership
with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi
and a private company to present the
Second Generation of e-Dirham (e-
Dirham G2) which was released in
February 2012.
What about the e-Dirham cards?
The e-Dirham G2 release was ac-
companied by the issue of three
types of cards namely the red, gold
and blue cards.
Red cards are suitable for small
companies; its maximum balance is
AED 50,000. It costs AED 6 and is
charged AED 4 only for each trans-
action.
The red card is not visa cobranded
and is accepted only at e-Dirham G2
merchants. It enables safe online
government and non-government
service purchases at e-Dirham G2
subscribed entities’ websites.
The gold card is supplied with a
chip; its maximum balance is AED
10,000,000. It costs AED 25. Large
companies that have a big num-
ber of employees and have various
transactions use the gold card. It is
charged AED 4 for each reloading. It
is not visa cobranded.
The blue card is used by individuals
and is visa cobranded. It can also be
used inside and outside the UAE to
make online purchases and can be
used at the system subscribed enti-
ties. It is the cheapest card in the Mid-
dle East costing AED 7 and charged
AED 4 after the first purchase.
These cards are used under condi-
tions such as the cardholder must
be 18 years old at least and has to
register it in the National Bank of Abu
Dhabi. If the card is not registered, its
maximum balance will be AED 2,500
and will be used in one purchase.
However, registering the card gives
it a two-year expiry date.
So, what’s the difference between
e-Dirham and VISA brand?
The e-Dirham saves much money
for the cardholder. Moreover, it is
safe and easy to use. Upon us-
ing the e-Dirham at Ministries and
federal agencies, its holder will be
charged AED 3 only for each trans-
action whereas he/she will pay AED
5 for each transaction using a visa
card in addition to being charged
2.5% of the transaction value; if the
transaction value is AED 10,000, for
instance AED 5 will be charged for
the transaction in addition to 2.5%,
meaning that the total due amount
will be AED 10250. In case of using
the e-Dirham, only AED 10003 will
be paid.
Are all the ministries and au�
thorities using this system?
Currently, the majority of ministries
accept the e-Dirham as of February
2012 and by the end of this year,
we will have covered all ministries.
We have 19 ministries including 16
service ones. We are currently work-
ing on adding the federal agencies.
For over a month now, I have been
in continuous meetings with them
to discuss their joining the system. I
met with eleven authorities most of
which joined the system. There are
31 authorities including 20 service
ones.
I would like to note that authorities
such as Awqaf (endowments) and
Zakat Fund are not charged the
transaction cost, which is AED 3
upon reloading because they offer
charity work. In the coming period,
this exemption will also apply to the
Red Crescent.
Are there plans to deal exclu�
sively in the e-Dirham?
Currently, we do not plan to impose
the e-Dirham system or cancel pay-
ment by the regular VISA although it
25
November
2013
