Network International: Navigating the future of digital payments

Tell us about your journey with Network International over the past 18 years and how your experience in various leadership roles has shaped your approach to managing Merchant Services in the MENA region.

Network has undergone a remarkable journey of growth, and innovation. Starting in an era when the payments landscape was vastly different, the company has transformed into a key digital payments player across the Middle East and Africa. I have had the privilege of witnessing this incredible growth in many different roles spanning operations technology and merchant acquiring over 18 years. What stands out the most is how crucial it is to keep our customers at the centre of everything we do. That mindset has driven us to become the leading acquirer in the region.

Our goal remains clear, to deliver value to our merchants, focus on innovation, drive digital payment adoption, and continue enhancing the payments ecosystem with solutions that help businesses grow.

Network International is one of the largest acquirers in the UAE. What are the key components of your merchant services strategy in the Middle East, and how do you differentiate your services from competitors?

Our commitment to supporting merchants remains a core pillar of our strategy. Our focus is on helping merchants grow by enabling them with the latest payment technologies to keep pace with the evolving digital landscape. With a 30-year history and over 130,000 merchants, we’ve been at the forefront of driving financial inclusion and digital payments across the region.

What gives us an edge is the combination of our in-house technology and development capabilities. At the core is our state-of-the-art technology platform with an innovative product suite that offers everything from cards and tokens to POS systems and e-commerce solutions.

Whether it’s preventing fraud, managing loyalty programmes, or offering financing options, we ensure that our merchants have the tools they need to thrive in a digital world and provide enhanced customer experiences. By leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and integrating APIs, SDKs, and data, we provide merchants with customised, integrated solutions that enhance their operations both online and offline business.

How are you supporting merchants across the MENA region with innovative digital payment solutions? Can you share examples of how these solutions have enhanced the payment value chain?

Network provides merchants with an all-in-one payments platform that integrates multiple innovative products and value-added services to meet the diverse needs of businesses.

For example, our Split Settlement solution at point-of-sale and online enables merchants to collect payments for various services on a single terminal or a single transaction and settle directly to the respective bank accounts Our App to App payments solution allows merchants to accept payments through their existing applications on their smartphones, eliminating the need for additional hardware.

We’ve also introduced easy payment plans at the point of sale in Egypt, as well as a customised payment solution for hospitality in Jordan, addressing sector-specific needs.

Network offers a wide range of data and advisory solutions. These solutions enable our customers to customise and optimize their products and services to their consumers, resulting in higher consumer satisfaction and profitable growth. By delivering secure and seamless payment experiences, whether online or offline, we’re enabling businesses to offer convenience to their customers. This year we have processed about three billion transactions across our markets, and crossed $100bn in process volume while having managed 18 million payment credentials.

Network International has partnered with the Central Bank of the UAE on initiatives like Jaywan and Aani. Can you discuss the significance of these collaborations and how they contribute to the UAE’s vision of establishing a world-class digital economy?

Our partnership with the Central Bank of the UAE is key to our commitment to a robust digital payment ecosystem through innovation, digitisation, and global interoperability. We’re proud to be among the first acquirers to launch ‘Jaywan’ and ‘Aani’ for merchants and consumers. These initiatives will advance the UAE’s national agenda for financial efficiency and inclusion, drive real-time payments and significantly improve transaction speed, security and customer experiences.

Network serves a large portion of merchants across the region, spanning several sectors including Government, retail, hospitality, electronics, airlines among others, that stand to benefit from these initiatives and thus drive the acceleration of the UAE’s vision of a world-class digital economy.

We have over 26 banking partners, telecom and fintech customers whom we will support in issuing Jaywan cards and Aani payments.

What emerging trends do you see shaping the digital payments industry in the MENA region, and how is Network International positioned to capitalise on these trends?

The payments landscape is changing fast with the rise of digital wallets, mobile payments, biometric authentication, and contactless technologies. We’re also seeing growing interest in buy now pay later payments, cross-border payments, real-time transactions, and even cryptocurrencies. At Network, we’re already tapping into these trends. Our platform supports the acceptance of multiple global digital wallets, BNPL payments, QR payments, biometric payments like Facepay and much more, enabling consumers to make payments with ease while providing merchants with the tools they need to grow their business and enhance customer convenience. It’s an exciting time for everyone in the digital payments space and we’re proud to be at the forefront of it.

Innovation is key to economic diversification. How is Network International driving innovation in digital payment technologies to support merchant growth and contribute to regional economic development?

We are continuously expanding our technology stack to deliver innovative payment solutions that increase financial access, make transactions frictionless, and make money movement more efficient. As the UAE advances toward a digital economy, we’re helping merchants, financial institutions, and consumers transition smoothly by offering integrated, secure, and innovative payment solutions that align with regional economic goals.

Where do you see Network International in the next five years, particularly in terms of its role in the digital economy in the region?

Network is committed to leading the digital transformation across the Middle East and Africa and working closely with the governing bodies, regulators, partners and customers to innovate and scale digital payments across regions.

Our focus will remain on supporting businesses and customers and bringing in new, innovative solutions that make payments easier and accessible for everyone.

We will leverage our capabilities, knowledge, data and our deep understanding of regional market needs to serve our customers and be at the forefront of the future of digital payments. Our vision is to make payments seamless, secure, and scalable – payments should empower businesses, not complicate them.