Electronic payments see surge in Jordan after pandemic

AMMAN — In 2022, Jordan saw over 78 million electronic payment transactions, according to a recent report by the Jordan Payments and Clearing Company (JOPACC).

The report, which touched on the rapid penetration of digital payments in Jordan, also reflected on the performance of the systems operated by JOPACC, including the Electronic Cheque Clearing Unit (ECCU), the Automated Clearing House System (ACH), eFAWATEERcom, CliQ and JoMoPay.

The report also showed that the ECCU experienced a growth of up to 8.4 per cent in the value of cleared cheques. It also noted that the number of people in Jordan using eFAWATEERcom reached 3.606 million by the end of 2022. This electronic service is mostly used to pay for utility fees, various government services and telecommunication bills, the report added.

The February 2023 edition of the Payment Systems Monthly Report indicated that the number of CliQ customers reached 634,000 in February, the number of transactions amounted to 1.35 million, which were worth JD234 million.

Significant increases in the number of CliQ users were also recorded, indicating a deeper level of digital engagement, according to JOPACC.

Launched by JOPACC in June 2020, CliQ is a payment system that allows users to instantly send and receive money to and from different bank accounts in all participating banks in Jordan, in addition to all mobile wallets, according to the JOPACC website.

“CliQ aims to increase liquidity in the Jordanian market, offer an attractive alternative to cash payments and accelerate the cycle of cash flow in the Jordanian economy,” according to the JOPACC website.

Sarah Younes, a Jordanian banker, told The Jordan Times on Wednesday that “CliQ is a flexible service that enables people to transfer funds using their IBAN or mobile numbers,” adding that this service not only makes things easier for individuals, but also for business owners, many of whom have started offering CliQ as a payment service.

“CliQ is widely used because it only requires one click. As for eFAWATEERcom, it is a fast and safe way of paying my shop’s bills,” Ghasan Tareq, the owner of a private business in Amman, told The Jordan Times.

Tareq added that the number of non-cash retail payment transactions “exponentially increased”, especially after the pandemic. Over 70 per cent of Tareq’s customers pay using various online payment services.