As part of its ongoing efforts to improve the quality and speed of services and enhance customer satisfaction, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) launched the updated version of the e-refund system for service fees and transactions for federal entities. The updated version provides new features that facilitate and expedite the procedures of refunding fees for all federal entities.

Saeed Rashid Al Yateem, Assistant Under Secretary of Resources and Budget Sector at the Ministry of Finance, noted that launching the updated version of the system comes within the ministry’s endeavours to provide comprehensive and integrated financial services that satisfy customers. This promotes the UAE’s leading financial system at regional and international levels, and reiterates the country’s standing on global competitiveness indices.

Al Yateem said: “Over the past years, the Ministry of Finance has taken several proactive steps to keep up with the digital revolution and adopted artificial intelligence to improve the services provided to customers in the private and government sectors. This is by adopting smart services and applications, and in line with the objectives of the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, and the UAE Centennial 2071.”

Al Yateem added: “These steps have proven their effectiveness under the exceptional circumstances that the world is witnessing today, which required most companies and institutions to work remotely and provide all services digitally. The Ministry of Finance excelled in providing all its services with high efficiency to all its customers, including individuals, companies, and government entities through its smart application and website - without having to leave their homes or offices, to ensure their health and safety.”

The updated version of the e-refund system allows customers to login using a secured unified code from the ministry’s website. This allows customers to log in to the service using MoF’s website or via the digital ID (UAE PASS). The new system also provides the ’dispute management‘ feature that enables customers to review the request’s status according to the request number upon its completion.

It also provides the automatic text reading feature for people of determination, in line with the quality standards of smart government services. Once the receipt number is entered, the system can automatically identify the entity and the details of the amount to be refunded without needing the customer to input the receipt details.

Customers of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship and various federal ministries can now request a refund of transaction fees that have been paid by the e-Dirham card or other accepted cards through the e-refund system. Refunds to customers will be available later via the smart phone application.

The number of users on the e-refund system reached 428 in 2018, and 2,962 in 2019. In 2020, during the COVID period, it reached 5,604, which showcases the high usage of the system due to the ease of electronic procedures for refunding revenues due to customers.

Last year, the ministry launched the upgraded version of the Emirates Gate system for government financial statistics reports as part of its efforts to enhance financial systems, global competitiveness of the United Arab Emirates, and to adhere to the updated requirements of the IMF’s Government Finance Statistics Manual.

Founded in 2012, the updated system is part of the recommendations of the Government Financial Policy Coordination Council, which is chaired by Younis Haji Al Khoori, Undersecretary of MoF, Chairman of the Government Financial Policy Coordination Council, and board members from UAE governments and the Emirates Central Bank.

Saeed Rashid Al-Yateem highlighted the importance of cooperation between the Ministry of Finance and all financial departments in the Emirates to develop an intelligent system for Emirates Gate for government financial statistics reports. The system links all the Emirates’ financial departments with the electronic financial system of the Ministry of Finance through artificial intelligence.

He said: “The Ministry of Finance takes proactive steps to keep pace with the digital revolution. We develop financial reporting systems to enhance transparency and make government financial statistics data available to decision-makers and financial-policy makers in the country. This enables them to devise the necessary programs and policies within the framework of the country’s financial and economic policy.”

He added: “The ministry has an innovative set of cutting-edge smart financial services and initiatives, which makes it one of the world’s leading government agencies in providing smart financial services.”

The UAE Gate for GFS Reports system relies on AI to collect, process and prepare statistical data and reports in accordance with IMF standards, as well as the approved international financial and accounting standards.