Bahrain sees rise in online eGovernment financial transactions
Bahrain's eGovernment Authority (eGA) reports a significant increase in electronic financial transactions done via the eGA National Portal (www.bahrain.bh) since the beginning of the year. eGA figures show that the number of financial transactions reached 12,550 worth roughly BHD 940,000 in the third quarter of this year alone, representing a 200 per cent increase in number of transactions and a 250 per cent increase in overall amount compared to the first quarter.
As part of its commitment to offering flexible payment solutions to the public, the eGA National Portal allows the public to use regular debit cards which deduct the required total directly from the users' bank accounts. Debit card transactions accounted for approximately 20 per cent of the total number of transactions, the rest were done by credit card.
The jump in number of financial transactions is largely due to the wide range of financial services offered via the eGA National Portal which currently includes: paying utility bills, paying traffic fines, booking pre-employment medical checkups, as well as paying University of Bahrain's student tuition fees.
To accommodate the mounting demand, the eGA recently signed an agreement with Gulf Business Machines (GBM) to develop the National Portal's infrastructure and increase its capacity tenfold.
