iGA: ‘55% increase in financial transactions and jump in mobile apps usage in H1 2022’

Manama, July 6 (BNA): The Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) revealed the results of its channels performance during the first half (H1) of 2022, which included a significant spike in online payments. Financial transactions jumped 55% to approximately 1.9 million, bringing in BD334 million in revenue via the iGA’s various digital channels, including the National Portal, bahrain.bh, the eGovernment Apps Store, bahrain.bh/apps, and eKiosks. There was also a 12% increase in the number of government apps users compared to the same period in 2021 .and 9,789,000 visits to the portal during the first half of 2022 , an increase of 31%. iGA Deputy Chief Executive of eTransformation, Dr. Zakariya AlKhajah said that the increase in online transactions is in line with directives by the Kingdom of Bahrain’s leadership to introduce digital transformation strategies and initiatives across all areas of the government. He added that the iGA is committed to implementing the decisions of the Ministerial Committee for Information and Communications Technology, chaired by the Minister of Interior, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, which aims to accelerate the development of services in cooperation with other government entities by setting policies, deploying advanced technologies, and enhancing overall performance. Services are offered via digital channels, contributing to a better quality of life for citizens and residents, who have shown increasing acceptance of government apps downloadable from the eGovernment Apps Store. He attributed this rise in demand to Bahrain’s advanced digital culture, adding that the iGA is looking to introduce additional features and services to enhance the user experience even further. AlKhajah said that the directives of the Minister of Interior have served to motivate these enhancements. The iGA is dedicated to swifter digital transformation through the diversification of online government services and ensuring they meet the requirements of all stakeholders. It ensures that they are offered as an alternative to traditional services, helping to save the public time and effort by eliminating the need for physical visits to service centers. This requires a sophisticated restructuring of the services by the iGA in collaboration with other government entities. He said that the iGA is currently working on launching a large number of additional eServices this year. The total number of eServices currently provided by the iGA’s currently stands at 569, including 440 via the Portal, 19 via eKiosks, and 110 via mobile apps. The H1 2022 report revealed a major trend among citizens and residents to carry out transactions via government mobile apps, accounting for 47% of payments, with the remaining 53% carried out via the Portal. This was a 12% increase compared to the same period last year. The most popular apps were BeAware Bahrain, Islamiyat, and eTraffic with an increase of 88%, 81%, and 55% respectively. Over 1.2 million transactions were carried out via the Portal, totaling more than BD306 million in revenues during H1 2022, an increase of 62% compared to the same period last year. These results reflect the public’s awareness of the value of online services. Gold Visas, first time passport issuance, Good Conduct Certificate requests, and civil records updates were the most in-demand eServices on the Portal.