Dewa reduces security deposit refund time to just 8 minutes from 30 minutes

In a major boost to digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has further reduced the time required to refund security deposits, without human intervention, to just eight minutes, down from 30 minutes previously.

This applies to amounts of up to Dhs4,000 and covers around 90% of refund requests.

This achievement is the result of a progressive development journey marked by three main milestones. The first phase involved refunding security deposits within four days through traditional procedures. In the second phase, Dewa automated the approval process, reducing the time to just 30 minutes.

In the current phase, the time has been further reduced to only eight minutes through an advanced system that relies on a robust verification mechanism.

This enables direct refund transfers to customers’ accounts via their International Bank Account Number (IBAN), ensuring high levels of accuracy, speed and reliability.

The initiative forms part of Dewa’s ongoing efforts to embed AI across all its services, operations and digital infrastructure to accelerate digital transformation, enhance stakeholder happiness and deliver proactive digital services that support sustainability.

“In line with the vision and directives of our wise leadership to digitalise all aspects of life in Dubai and transform the emirate into a global digital capital, positioning it among the world’s best cities in terms of quality of life, we continue to adopt the latest Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and integrate artificial intelligence across all our operations."

"We have made significant progress in reducing the security deposit refund time from four days to 30 minutes, and now to just eight minutes. This is part of our continuous efforts to provide a pioneering, fully digital customer experience that enhances happiness, meets expectations and exceeds them,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa.

“The new system operates around the clock, independent of official working hours, enhancing operational efficiency and enabling staff to focus on innovation and service improvement. These developments come alongside continuous growth in customer accounts, which reached 1,346,985 by the end of March 2026, marking a 5.08% increase compared to the same period in 2025."

"This reflects Dewa’s global leadership in smart and sustainable services, as we continue to develop pioneering electricity, water and digital infrastructure, and enhance the capacity of transmission and distribution networks to keep pace with Dubai’s population growth, as well as its economic and urban development,” Al Tayer added.

During the first quarter of 2026, more than 3.7 million digital transactions were completed, up from more than 3.5 million transactions in the same period in 2025. This growth reflects the accelerating adoption of digital channels and the efficiency, reliability and effectiveness of Dewa’s digital service ecosystem in delivering seamless customer experiences. By the end of December 2025, the number of customer accounts had reached 1,327,182, before rising to 1,346,985 by the end of March 2026, an increase of 1.49% during the first quarter of the year.