UAE-based Botim has introduced the Botim One Jaywan Prepaid Card. It is the first fintech platform in the country to issue a prepaid card under Jaywan, the UAE’s domestic card scheme. The initial rollout is expected to reach more than 200.000 workers through the company’s corporate payroll relationships and partnerships with exchange houses.
Jaywan and domestic payments infrastructure
Jaywan is operated by Al Etihad Payments, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE. The scheme routes and processes domestic card transactions within the country. This approach is intended to strengthen national control over payments infrastructure and to support the secure handling of payment data. Jaywan cards can be used at point-of-sale terminals and across ecommerce channels, and the scheme includes a rewards and offers programme for consumers in the UAE.
Fintech platforms now take part alongside financial institutions, which gives the scheme additional distribution channels. According to Al Etihad Payments, each new Jaywan product introduced by banks, fintechs, and regulated financial institutions extends the scheme to more customer segments and to a broader range of everyday payment needs. The operator described the launch as an example of how prepaid products can bring digital payments to workforce communities.
Linking card issuance to payroll
Botim is accredited by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) to provide Wages Protection System (WPS) services. Through its regulated WPS payroll solution, employers disburse salaries digitally, and employees can use the prepaid card for purchases at payment terminals and online. The model extends wage digitisation beyond salary disbursement and cash withdrawal and connects payroll flows directly to the national card scheme.
Cardholders also have access to Botim’s wider set of financial services. These include multilingual digital onboarding with no minimum salary or minimum balance requirement, and money transfers to more than 170 international destinations. They also include over 125 dining, travel, and lifestyle offers, fractional gold and silver investment from approximately USD 2.7, and, where eligible, credit products.
Policy alignment and ecosystem implications
The rollout is framed within several national initiatives: the UAE’s Financial Infrastructure Transformation Programme, the National Digital Economy Strategy, and We the UAE 2031. Each supports wider access to UAE-issued card solutions that process domestic payments locally.
H.E. Dr. Tariq BinHendi, CEO of Botim, said the launch supports financial inclusion and the country’s digital transformation by encouraging adoption of the scheme among workforce communities central to the UAE economy. For Jaywan, distribution through a payroll-linked platform gives the scheme a route to worker segments that, according to Botim, have historically been underserved by traditional financial services. Botim’s existing channels with employers and exchange houses provide the infrastructure for the first phase. The scale of later adoption will depend on how far the company extends the card beyond the initial 200.000-worker rollout.
