Smart Dubai enables Blockchain-based Payment System

By Ravindra Chagetha

The world keeps growing on the new technology and it seems the days are not far with the worldwide blockchain adoption. In the recent news, Smart Dubai Office (SDO) has launched the ‘Payment Reconciliation and Settlement’ System, developed in collaboration with the Dubai Department of Finance as a Blockchain-powered upgrade to its financial system. Smart Dubai is an innovative program developed by the Dubai government to drive global competitiveness.

The new blockchain based system will enable the transaction processes which will be more accurate and in real time and economising time and effort.

The current procedure relies on the old system which is time-consuming and requires staff members to physically go through payments collected from various portals to manually reconcile and settle them, deducting the fees due to the Department and then transferring the remaining amounts to the relevant Authority

The director general of the Smart Dubai Office (SDO), Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr said, “Smart technologies continue to infiltrate every aspect of human life and societies; virtually everything we do today relies fully or to some degree on an advanced technology once considered ‘disruptive’.” Adding further on her views,“Guided by the forward-thinking vision of its leadership, Dubai has long been a trailblazer in embracing avant-garde technologies – most notably those of the Fourth Industrial Revolution – and tailoring them to meet the needs of our citizens, residents and visitors, in a bid to transform Dubai into the happiest and smartest city in the world.”

“Blockchain is one of the most promising of these technologies, attracting more investments every year,” Dr Aisha added. “Once again, Dubai was a pioneer in this sector and continues to make progress with the launch of the ‘Payment Reconciliation and Settlement’ System, which falls in line with the ambitious Dubai Blockchain Strategy, launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and chairman of the Dubai Executive Council. The Strategy seeks to increase government efficiency by transferring 100 per cent of government transactions to the Blockchain network.”

“Ensuring the success of the ‘Payment Reconciliation and Settlement’ system requires fostering collaboration and synergy among the various Government entities that have joined – or are planning to join – the system, considering that it calls for each entity to open its data and work hand-in-hand with other departments from across the Government spectrum,” Dr Aisha concluded.

The CEO of the Smart Dubai Government Establishment (SDG), Wesam Lootah also commented on the new system and stated, “We, at Smart Dubai, consider technology to be a means for us to help improve people’s quality of life and spread happiness among them. Correctly applied across various key sectors, we believe Blockchain has massive potential to achieve our emirate’s ambitions for a fully-fledged smart transformation. In 2018 alone, investment in this game-changing technology surpassed that of all the previous years combined, and analysts project the global Blockchain market to be worth $290 billion by 2019.”

“The new and advanced ‘Payment Reconciliation and Settlement’ System offers Dubai Government entities many significant benefits,” Lootah added. “Besides enabling near real-time reconciliations and settlement, the System eliminates friction from financial processes through automation and minimising human intervention. It allows for clear visibility of funds; immediate disputes and claims resolution; transparency and immutability of financial records.” The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa)and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority(KHDA) were the first government agencies to join the system.

Ravindra Chagetha

His interests and the desire to learn something new cannot be neglected as he is always keen to learn new things.

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