Benefit, an ancillary service provider to Bahrain’s financial services industry, and Sadad, a leading electronic payment channel, have announced the launch of BenefitPay service on Sadad self-service kiosks.

 

BenefitPay is a national electronic wallet payment system developed by Benefit.

 

Under the deal, announced at a press conference today, BenefitPay users can pay via their mobile their monthly utility bills, school and university tuition fees, teleco bills and top-up vouchers, renew motor insurance, buy cinema tickets, buy online shopping gift cards and gaming vouchers and pay for many more services. 

 

The user experience is extremely simple and flawless. Sadad self-service kiosk will generate a QR code on its screen for the customer to scan using their BenefitPay application and within 3 seconds the payment is successfully completed, across over 800 kiosks in the kingdom, said a statement. 

 

In addition to the convenience of not carrying cards and speedy transactions, this service ensures the utmost levels of security and cancels the need for card information sharing. BenefitPay requires a one-time registration to save user’s bank account and debit card details and it’s ready for use.

 

Shaikh Ali Bin Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, chairman of Sadad, said: “This service will enable another step towards our vision to provide a cashless payment society in Bahrain.

 

“We are a technology first company, and technology to enable secure, simple and frictionless payments has always been the agenda of SADAD since the formation of the company,” he said.

 

Jean-Christophe Durand, chief executive officer of the National Bank of Bahrain, commented: “We are pleased to support all electronic payment initiatives, especially through smartphones and self-service kiosks, making life easier for our customers. National Bank of Bahrain, in partnership with Sadad and Benefit have worked together on this important initiative to support the direction set by the Bahrain Economic Development Board and the Central Bank of Bahrain.”

 

He also added: “All the partners are looking forward to activating BenefitPay through the self-service kiosks widely available in shopping malls, commercial and service establishments. This will reduce cash transactions and facilitate electronic payments as a preferred method of payment.”

 

Abdulwahed AlJanahi, chief executive officer of Benefit, said: “We are glad to offer our customers this innovative and user-friendly feature as part of our ongoing commitment and priority in Benefit to optimise our customers’ user experience.  At Benefit, we always strive to build alliances and collaborations that facilitate Bahrain’s vision in the field of promoting a cashless society, especially in electronic financial transactions and including this unique service.”   - TradeArabia News Service