Arab Financial Services Powers UAE’s National Card Scheme with Jaywan Certification

Arab Financial Services (AFS), a big name when it comes to digital payments and fintech across the Middle East and Africa, has just hit a rather important milestone. The company’s platform has been certified to power Jaywan, the UAE Central Bank’s national card scheme. In simple terms, this means that AFS can now help its client banks and financial institutions issue Jaywan Prepaid and Debit Cards to folks across the Emirates. It’s part of a wider push from the UAE to tighten up and expand its payment networks—making life easier (and safer) for both consumers and businesses.

When looking at the innovation game in payments, things can change at breakneck speed. As AFS’s CEO Samer Soliman explained, this new step shows how fast the industry is moving. “It enables us to provide our partners with the precise tools to navigate this new era of financial technology, ensuring they remain at the leading edge of innovation and can deliver a modern experience to their customers,” he said. Pithy, maybe, but spot on—because it’s not just the big tech companies muscling in, but the banks too, and everyone wants a piece of the digital action.

What stands out here is that the move isn’t only about rolling out more cards for the sake of it. AFS’s Card Management System has now been validated for Jaywan. This sort of thing may sound like a bit of a faff to those not knee-deep in banking tech, but it’s crucial when you’re connecting the dots between local payment schemes and global networks. Lately, there’s this unmistakable sense across MENA—especially among startups I’ve come across at Arageek—that getting payments right, and local, is a deal breaker for scaling up.

For a little more background, AFS has been in the game since 1984 and is owned by more than 30 banks and financial institutions. These days, they work with over 60 clients in 20+ countries—a sprawling footprint that keeps them, well… pretty busy. They’re not just in Bahrain, where they originally set up shop, but also Egypt, Oman and the UAE, with regulated status from the local central banks. Their toolkit covers everything from digital wallets and open banking to digital payroll—definately keeping up with what the market demands.

From my own experience following the ups and downs of regional fintech, the buzz around national payment schemes feels justified. They help cut costs, keep money flowing locally, and reduce reliance on international networks that aren’t always a perfect fit. On the flip side, building out these systems takes time—and buy-in from users who often just want simplicity over razzle-dazzle features. If you ask me, a card that just works is sometimes all you need.

Still, AFS’s new role could set the pace for others trying to bridge the gap between solid tech and local relevance. For the startup founders who look to Arageek for inspiration (and, let’s face it, the odd pep talk when things get tough), this signals a maturing payments space that’s opening new doors. And believe it or not, in a world where every new solution is either “game-changing” or forgotten within a week, that’s something to be chuffed with.

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