19 October 2016

Dubai, UAE - The Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai (RTA) today announced its partnership with Network International, the leading payment solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), to enable retail payments through NOL cards at select merchant outlets in Dubai, leveraging the Mercury domestic scheme platform.     

For NOL card users in Dubai this would mean, starting next year, they would be able to use their cards to make quick and easy payments for purchases at several retail outlets that accept Mercury cards at POS terminals, as well as for transit. The move complements RTA’s strategic objective of offering greater convenience to public transport users in the emirate, in line with Dubai’s Smart City initiative. 

Visitors to GITEX Technology Week, being held from October 16 - 20, 2016 can test the new initiative by using their NOL cards to complete a simple tap-and-pay transaction for purchases made at the Dubai World Trade Centre’s ZOOM metro outlet.

Abdulla Al Madani, CEO of RTA’s Corporate Technology Support Services Sector expressed his delight in signing this agreement with strategic partner Network International, in particular since RTA’s NOL card has become an indispensable tool to all public transport users in Dubai.

“Enabling public from all social segments to use NOL cards to meet their retail payments’ needs is aligned with RTA’s strategic goal No. 3, which is ‘People Happiness.’ RTA has always sought the best methods to make people in the UAE, including citizens, residents, tourists and visitors, happy by providing them with safer, sophisticated, secure and faster solutions that enhance and make their lives happy, more easy and comfortable. To meet this goal, RTA has collaborated with internationally reputed organisations, hence our partnership with Network International is strategic due to the importance of this service,” said Al Madani. 

“The roll-out of this solution indisputably supports Dubai’s ambition to be the smartest city in the world in three years by harnessing the latest technologies and most advanced methods to realise this objective. This initiative also incorporates excellence and innovation, which are vital factors to fully accomplish the smart city vision,” he added.    

Commenting on the announcement, Bhairav Trivedi, Group CEO of Network International, said: “Network International is pleased to extend our partnership with RTA for another milestone project that supports the Smart City vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai and could potentially benefit thousands of public transport users in Dubai every day. The success of transit cards displacing cash for retail payments has been evident around the world, including in cities like London and Hong Kong where the Oyster and Octopus cards are ubiquitous. We are confident that the same can be replicated in Dubai and look forward to continue to support this initiative.”  

Denzil Lawson, Head of Mercury, added: “Customers testing the new initiative first-hand at the ZOOM store during GITEX can experience the benefits of using their NOL cards to make purchases. This initiative aims to make people’s lives simpler by removing the need to carry cash for day to day purchases, particularly for micropayments. Whether buying groceries after a metro ride or a coffee on the way to work, the NOL card provides a convenient, secure and easy way to pay.”    

Commenting on the partnership, His Excellency Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO of ENOC, said: “The UAE government’s strategy to create smart cities was founded to help secure a better future for its people—from empowered residents to engaged and happy consumers. Therefore, the implementation of intelligent solutions is crucial. Incorporating ZOOM payments into RTA’s NOL cards ensures fast, easy and convenient payment methods across our outlets and these are values that we strive to embody in all our operations and services. We look forward to our partnership with the RTA and Network International, and hope that this collaboration serves as an example for future cooperation.”

-Ends-

About Network International:
Established in 1994, Network International LLC is the largest acquirer in the UAE, and a leading payment solutions provider in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). The company’s service offering comprises a comprehensive range of payment products and services for both the Issuing and Acquiring segments of banks, financial institutions and retail merchants. This includes credit, debit and prepaid card processing, ATM management and monitoring, merchant acquiring and processing, fraud management, e-commerce services and mobile solutions for the payments industry, with the objective of enabling speedy, secure and convenient payment transactions for customers. In addition, the company offers several value-add products including data analytics, scoring and loyalty solutions. Network International has Operation centers in the UAE, Egypt and India, with its corporate head office in Dubai. The company recently acquired Emerging Markets Payments Holdings Limited (EMPH) and continues to invest in strategic partnerships that will increasingly see its influence spread across the region.

Network International is a Principal Member of Visa International and MasterCard International in the UAE and enjoys extension of its MasterCard License in other key countries. It is also a member of JCB and Union Pay card schemes, and it owns and manages the Diners Club International Franchise in the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan. In 2013, the company launched a GCC based domestic scheme, Mercury, and partnered with Discover Financial Services (DFS) to allow global acceptance of Mercury cards on the Discover, Diners Club International and PULSE networks. Network International, a Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) certified company, is also a major player in the international remittance industry and owns a 100 per cent stake in TimesofMoney Ltd., a leading global online remittance and digital payments company facilitating cross-border remittances and domestic payments in emerging economies.

About ENOC:
Emirates National Oil Company Group (ENOC) is a leading integrated global oil and gas player operating across the energy sector value chain. A wholly owned company of the Government of Dubai, ENOC Group offers a diverse portfolio of assets operating across five business segments: Supply, Trading and Processing, Terminals, Marketing, Retail and Exploration and Production. Servicing thousands of customers across 60 markets, the Group employs a workforce of over 9,000 employees and is deploying its world-class customer service, latest innovations and technologies and best practices towards the UAE’s social and economic development. For further information, please visit: www.enoc.com.

© Press Release 2016