Ziina, a Dubai-based, YC-backed fintech start-up on a mission to bring money online for Middle Eastern consumers, continues to innovate in the payments space. Its most recent innovation is a payments keyboard, the first of its kind in the digital wallets space, for which Ziina has filed a patent.
“Ziina’s new product, currently in beta mode, takes the pain of cash entirely out of the equation. Since its inception in 2020, we have made it our focus to design and build the most seamless way for individuals to send and receive money. Today, we introduce our latest invention – the ZiiBoard – created especially for businesses,” said Faisal Toukan, CEO and co-founder of the app. “Businesses can now generate payment links and collect payments in three taps, from within the messaging app of their choice.”
The ZiiBoard, which is currently being rolled out to a select group of Ziina’s most active business customers, allows SMEs and freelancers to request payments from their clients directly within any messaging app, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, or Signal. Businesses can be paid using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or any international card through the ZiiBoard.
Thousands of small businesses in the UAE are run by owners who oversee the entire operation from start to finish. Their daily tasks include interacting with customers, gathering information, and fulfilling orders. They switch between their various messaging and payment applications dozens of times per day. This tedious work consumes a significant portion of their day, time that could be spent growing their business and increasing order volume. Businesses can now request payments on WhatsApp, Instagram, or any other messenger with just a few taps thanks to the ZiiBoard. Customers enjoy the feature because it allows them to receive invoices and pay them seamlessly and instantly. Transactions that previously took 10-20 minutes of back and forth are now reduced to 10 seconds.
According to Mastercard’s New Payments Index 2022, 88 percent of UAE residents prefer convenience over cash, with at least one emerging payment method being used in the previous year. According to the report, with UAE consumers becoming more aware of solutions such as cryptocurrency, digital cards, biometric payments, BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later), and open banking, many of them are actively using these solutions in their daily lives. Source
Anton Badashov, Head of Design at Ziina, said: “Ziina stands out with its exceptional user experience and design, having been recognised with and awarded nine international UI/UX design awards, including the prestigious Red Dot Award. The ZiiBoard continues this design tradition, with technology that serves customer needs by integrating payments effortlessly into the way merchants are already conducting their business.”
All businesses and entrepreneurs need to do is download the Ziina app and enable the ZiiBoard to appear alongside the Emoji keyboard or other language keyboards. Businesses on Ziina will be able to integrate payments into any conversation with their customers or friends.
Toukan concluded: “Ziina is proving its commitment to making the payment process infinitely faster and more convenient; prioritising a delightful user experience; making payments between Ziina businesses and their customers faster, friendlier, and more fun. By patenting this technology, Ziina is further cementing the UAE’s position on the global innovation map as a place where local technology can compete at an international level. We’re proud to be a homegrown fintech innovating on a global level.”
