At the end of 2002, there were nearly three million regular online banking users in the Middle East. While online banking in the region had been slow to take root, the number of banks providing online services has tripled in the past year.
"Our 24/7 online services have helped us attract more new customers and, more than anything, this speaks volumes about the level of awareness and acceptance of new concepts in banking," stated Abdullah Al Hamili, executive director IT at Dubai Islamic Bank, which launched their e-banking channels last year and was the first Islamic bank in the region to do so.
According to the report, online transactions have grown to represent 19 per cent of all banking transactions in the region of which, not surprisingly, more than 52 per cent relate to utility or bill payments.
"Even more noticeable is the increased adoption of online delivery within the corporate banking environment," points out Pat Loughran, research partner at Albassera.
Spurred on by e-government projects coupled with increased awareness of benefits derived from adoption of e-procurement, banks have moved into a higher gear to meet clients' demands.
"In the last year, five major payment gateways were launched by banks in the region and there is growing interest in aligning with B2B channels such as tejari.com," commented Lough-ran.
Quelle: Gulf-News
